It's too late
by mercbella
Summary: Twilight AU: Bella's from Australia. What happens when she moves to Forks and meets Edward and the others. BxE.
1. New Home

The wind was howling outside and I could hear the rain thundering against the house as I lay awake trying desperately to fall asleep

The wind was howling outside and I could hear the rain thundering against the house as I lay awake trying desperately to fall asleep. I looked at my alarm clock and saw it was 2:30am. I groaned to myself. Great, I was going to look a fright tomorrow when I started at Forks High. I already knew I would be somewhat of a novelty coming from Australia, but it would only be topped off by looking like I had a massive hangover that frequently happened when I hadn't slept well. I stared up at the ceiling willing myself to fall asleep. A quick peek at the clock told me it was 2:33am. I suppressed another groan and burrowed my head deeper into my pillow to escape the thunderous noises coming from outside. Well look on the positive side, I thought, it can't get any worse than this.

It was 7am and I was sitting at my kitchen table in my hometown of Perth, Western Australia. It was the earliest I had gotten up in a long time, but it was necessary as I was leaving on a plane to Los Angeles in a couple of hours. Although I was feeling queasy, I managed to down a slice of toast spread with vegemite and a strong instant coffee, hoping it would calm my nerves. It didn't of course, and I hated vegemite, but it was probably going to be a long time before I tasted it again and I had to admit, I was already feeling homesick.

"Bella, honey, have you finished packing?" my mum asked as she shuffled into the kitchen in her bunny slippers.

"Yep, all done."

"Alright, I'll be in the shower if you need anything. And don't forget to pack books to read on the plane. Oh, I almost forget. Mrs. Johnson wants to say goodbye before you go."

I rolled my eyes, "Mum, are you serious? She hates me. I hate her. Therefore, I will not be wishing her farewell."

"Bella!" my mum growled, before heading towards the bathroom.

Mrs. Johnson was one of our neighbours who was constantly harassing me about my lack of a boyfriend. She was very old, I estimate ninety if she was lucky and she only ever wore overalls that looked to be from the fifties. All in all, I would not be saying farewell to the old woman.

After washing my dishes, I headed to my room for a final pack and goodbye. My suitcases were lined up on the bed; I didn't own much and barely any of my clothes would be suitable for the harsh weather in Forks, but I would worry about that when I got there. I put some music on and listened to Evermore's, "Running" as I contemplated my life in Perth. I loved living here. The people were friendly enough and because it was so isolated from other cities in Australia, we had a fairly small population compared to Sydney or Melbourne, which in my opinion was a plus. I wasn't a fan of big crowds. We had amazing beaches and a great town centre complete with Kings Park just a few kilometres away. Ultimately, I would miss living here but I was looking forward to a change of scenery and getting to know my dad a bit better. I had only been to Forks, Washington once before and my first impression of it was a dreary old dump, but being a few years older I was hoping (and praying) things had changed. I had had a farewell party two nights ago with my friends Joyce, Lilly, Dean, Celeste, Alvin, and Susannah where we had gotten slightly, or in my case, excessively drunk. Good times. I was going to miss them, especially Joyce who had been my best friend since we were two.

"Bella, it's time to go!! Hurry up, the taxi's here!"

I looked up, realizing I had been reminiscing for over an hour. I looked around, my eyes wandering once more, grabbed my suitcases, and said a fond farewell to my childhood room. I was on my way to Forks.

I opened my eyes sleepily as the plane descended in Port Angeles. I was totally and utterly exhausted. The plane trip had been absolute hell. First I flew from Perth to Los Angeles, via Sydney, which took nineteen hours. Another 2.5 hour flight took me from LA to Seattle where I hopped on a smaller one hour flight to Port Angeles. My legs were stiff and I had a crook in my neck. I knew my hair looked terrible but I was so tired I couldn't care less. Grabbing my bags, I stumbled off the plane, almost falling over. Thankfully, someone grabbed me before I fell. I looked up confused; it was my dad.

"Bells! It's so good to see you! How was your flight? How's Renee?"

"The flight was horrible. Now I remember why I hate it so much. Renee's great. She and Phil are leaving for Adelaide next week."

"Let's get you home, you must be exhausted."

He grabbed my bags and guided me out to where the cruiser stood.

"It's an hour ride back down to Forks, if you wanna sleep Bella. Have you eaten?"

"Yeah dad," I replied wearily, rubbing my eyes, "I ate on the plane. Wake me up when we get there okay?"

"Sure thing."

I lay my head down and immediately drifted off into a deep sleep.

I woke to the sound of cheering and yelling coming from downstairs. I looked around; I was in what seemed to be my bedroom. Charlie must have carried me in here. Fairly smallish, it contained my bed, a desk with a computer on it, my cupboard, and an old rocking chair that was in the corner. Thankfully, I had a great view as my room faced out over the street. Walking downstairs, I spotted Charlie watching what looked to be some sort of football on the television. Ah, just one more thing left to mourn, I thought to myself. I would miss watching the AFL on television, especially my team, the West Coast Eagles.

"Hey Bells," Charlie had seen me. "Sorry, did I wake you up?"

"Nah, I'm alright. How long have I been asleep for?"

"Approximately nineteen hours. You were out like a light. I couldn't wake you up."

I pondered for a moment. "My brain's all muddled. What time is it?"

"7:45pm Forks time. You hungry?

"Nah, but I'm gonna take a shower." I ran back upstairs, unpacked as fast as I could, and grabbed a pair of my pajamas, consisting of boxer shorts and a bonds singlet, and ran into the bathroom. The water drummed steadily against my skin and I immediately relaxed. Ahh, showers can do no wrong. I lathered up with my strawberry shampoo and let the water run down my body, soothing my aching muscles. Time passed, and then I could hear Charlie knocking on the door.

"Out Bella! You've been in there for nearly an hour"

"Sorry dad," I yelled, stepping out and drying myself in a towel. I got dressed quickly and went downstairs.

"Sorry dad, I lost track of time. It won't happen again."

"That's okay Bells. I made eggs if you want some. There's some in the pan on the stove."

I walked into the kitchen and over to said stove where I discovered a congealed concoction believed to be scrambled eggs. Not wanting to be rude, I grabbed a fork and took a tiny bite. Needless to say, the eggs were disgusting and I spat it out in the sink.

"Yummy dad. Delicious." I yelled. _Not._

The fridge yielded very little; a jar of plum jam, a carton of milk, and a bag of raisins.

Hmm… I thought. Charlie likes breakfast. I decided on a trip to the grocery store would be on the agenda tomorrow. Closing the door, I headed upstairs, not before yelling out,

"Dad! I'm going to go read in my room. Night!"

"Goodnight Bella. Good luck for tomorrow!"

Great. I was going to need it.


	2. Forks

In the end it was the alarm clock that woke me

In the end it was the alarm clock that woke me. I was so startled that I jerked back and whacked my head on the wall. Great, a throbbing headache to top off my first day at Forks High. Can it get any better? I stumbled out the door with my eyes still closed to the bathroom, where I washed my face and allowed to eyes to slowly open. I went back to my room and stood in front of my wardrobe surveying what to wear. I didn't own a lot of heavy clothing, so I settled on what I normally wore in winter in Australia, my black jeans, black boots, and a lilac hoodie. I just knew I would regret the light clothes, but mornings don't agree with me, and my brain doesn't start functioning until around 9am. I looked at my clock. It was now 8am. I had twenty five minutes to get to class. I ran to the bathroom and expertly applied some makeup, fluffed my hair and ran downstairs, grabbing my bag on the way. I was so caught up with getting ready that I completely forgot that Charlie had left for work an hour ago and therefore, I had no way of getting to school on time if I walked. I groaned. Marvellous. I would arrive at school late, looking like something the cat dragged in. I would have to run to school, I decided. Though you are incredibly clumsy and are likely to trip and break your arm, my inner voice scolded. Shut up! I told myself. You are strong. You are woman. You are… who am I kidding, I thought miserably. I trudged to the door and yanked it open, only to find a massive piece of junk sitting in our driveway. Walking closer, I realised it was in fact, a truck, a gleaming red truck that had a key in the ignition and a note taped to the door.

_Dear Bells,_

_I know this is a big change for you moving here, so I bought you this truck as a welcome to Forks present. I am so happy you're here and hope you settle in well at school._

_I love you dearly._

_Dad_

Wow. I was impressed. True, Charlie hadn't been a part of my life for a long time now, but every now and then he does things like this that remind me why I love him. On second glance, the truck didn't look as horrifying as it did at first. As I examined it, I began to see its good points. One- it was as likely to be crushed by another car, as it was to be hot in Forks, Two - it was red, my favourite colour at the moment, and three - it was so totally unique that I would be able to spot it from anywhere. I sighed with happiness. Now I wouldn't have to run (okay, walk) to school. The door was jammed but I managed to jimmy it open and jump inside. To my good fortune, it was extremely comfortable and smelt of peppermint and tobacco. The radio worked too which was a plus though it was currently tuned to a boring talkback radio show. I pulled out of the driveway and headed towards Forks High. Along the way I gave myself a pep talk. I was so engrossed in boosting my confidence that as I turned onto the highway I saw another car coming straight towards me. _What the hell?_ I swore as I realised I had been driving on the left side, _the wrong side, _of the road as they do back home in Australia. I swerved to the right side of the road quickly. I sat there in my truck not breathing, stunned into disbelief until I was jolted into reality by the other car, a Toyota hilux flying past and honking loudly. _Idiot, Bella. You big fat massive idiot! _Gaining some control and reminding myself of my near death experience I got back on the highway and drive at around 50kmph towards the high school arriving with two minutes to spare. I swerved into a car space right in front of what looked to be the office as it had a sign with SCHOOL ADMINISTRATION printed on it. Naturally, nothing ever got past me. I wrenched my door open and jumped out just missing a puddle. Ha! Finally, score for me. It was raining though, so with my hood up, I stumbled up the path and swung open the door to find a portly lady with a nametag reading Ms. Cope. There was already a boy in there but he looked to be leaving so I didn't bother sitting down. He turned around, spotted me and his mouth fell open as he openly gaped. I, of course, turned tomato red, and avoided eye contact with said gaper, and approached the desk.

"Hi, I'm Isabella Swan. I'm a new student here. Junior year?" I was still unfamiliar with the American high school system; in Australia, we had five years of high school, years 8-12, which was a fair bit different from the American freshman, sophomore, etc system.

"Ah yes, of course. Here you go. Here's your timetable." She handed me a wad of sheets and a map, which I looked at with undisguised horror. I was not a map reader.

"You'll be fine dear," she said, "have a good day."

I took that to mean I was being dismissed and walked back that way I'd come. Apparently I had English, my favourite subject first. Still nervous I walked with my hood up towards building three; easy enough to spot, it was the building with a massive '3' painted on it. I chucked my map in the bin outside the door. Thankfully the class seemed small so I walked more confidently up to the teacher, Mr. Mason, his badge said, and handed him my slip. He smiled at me, creepily in my opinion, and as I turned around I found everyone in the class staring at me.

"Isabella! Why don't you introduce your self to everyone?" Mr. Mason said cheerfully.

_Oh Crap! _I sucked at public speaking. I already hated Mr. Mason.

"Ah, well, um. Hi, my name is Isabella, well, I prefer Bella. I moved to Forks two days ago from Perth, Western Australia," I managed to blurt out.

I could feel myself turning red, and was thankfully saved by someone arriving late. Mr. Mason turned his attention on them and I escaped to an empty seat down the back, though not before tripping on a bag left on the floor. The class was as I expected, not too challenging. I had already read most of the assigned readings at home: Austen, Shakepeare, Chaucer. I kept my eyes down for most of the lesson, but I could still feel people's eyes on me and a few whispered conversations. Class finally ended and I began packing up my books. I jumped though when someone tapped me on the shoulder. A tall boy, with large blue eyes and spiky blonde hair smiled at me and offered his hand.

"Hi, I'm Mike. Mike Newton," he introduced himself. He looked very friendly. Too friendly in my opinion.

"Nice to meet you, Mike. I'm Bella." I didn't want to sound too stuck up.

"So Australia huh? Never been there myself. Always wanted to. What's it like?" he wondered.

"Sunny."

"You're not very tan."

"I'm part albino."

"Really?" he looked at my face. "Oh, ha. You had me there for a second."

"Yeah, ha," I laughed weakly.

"So where's your next class?" he asked.

I looked at my timetable. "Um, Government in building six."

He hesitated, but only for a second. "I could walk you there if you want?"

I smiled. "Thanks Mike, but I think I can find it. Seeya later."

"Bye Bella. See you at lunch?"

I didn't bother to answer. Anyway, Mike didn't seem like the type of person who would give up. I thought about that and groaned inwardly. Another admirer. Fantastic.

The rest of the morning passed in much the same way. I would get a lot of admiring looks and hear my name in many whispered conversations. When it finally came time for lunch, I leapt out of my seat with joy, happy to escape the confined classroom. One girl, came up to me, she had sat next to me in both Spanish and Trig.

"Hey Bella right? I'm Jessica Stanley. You wanna come sit with me and my friends for lunch?"

I considered my options, but only for a second. Sit with this girl, or be seen as a loner. It didn't take a genius to figure out what to do. I nodded and followed her to the cafeteria. I stared with fascination at the lunch line. Back home, we either bought our own lunch to school or bought it from the canteen.

"Haven't you ever seen a lunch line before, Bella?" Jessica laughed.

"Actually no. I usually bring my own lunch to school," I told her.

"Really? Wow. Anyway try the sandwiches. The hot food is pretty disgusting if you ask me," she advised.

I took her advice and bought a ham sandwich, an apple, and a bottle of juice, and followed her to a large table in the centre of the cafeteria. All eyes were instantly drawn to me. Of course, this triggered a deep red blush that appeared almost instantly on my cheeks.

"Everyone this is Bella," Jessica said proudly, gesturing to me. "She's from Australia."

I smiled tentatively and one of her friends, motioned for me to sit with her.

"Hi, I'm Angela. It's nice to meet you, Bella," she said with a genuine smile.

"Good to meet you too, Angela." I could tell that Angela and I would be good friends.

I took a bite of my sandwich and saw Mike and his friends approaching. _Great, more people to stare at me. _

"Hey Jess, Bella. Mind if we sit with you?" Mike sat down next to me without waiting for an answer. He immediately turned to me.

"So Bella, tell us about Australia. What's it like? Do you have a pet kangaroo?"

I laughed. He didn't laugh back.

"Oh, you're serious?" _Ignorant fool. _"Yes Mike. Instead of cars, everyone rides kangaroos and emus."

Angela laughed. I joined in. Everyone else looked at me confused. I decided to be nice.

"Australia is amazing. I miss it already. Where I lived it was quite hot, but I lived close to the beach. We had lots of parks and gardens and me and my friends were always going out to parties or to the beach for surfing. My mum and I lived only ten minutes from the beach and we loved going into the city and down south for the holidays."

"Wow, that sounds great. I'd love to go to Australia," Angela said, "it sounds so pretty."

"Yeah," Mike added, "I've heard there's heaps of hot babes down there." He and one of his friends high-fived each other and began talking about girls.

I looked away in disgust and it was then that I noticed them. They were the only people in the room not sneaking peeks at our table, but that was not the reason I noticed them.


	3. Biology

**AN: Hey i finally worked out how to edit my work (am a complete computer novice!) and just wanted to say thankyou to everyone that is reading and reviewing my work. this is my first fan fic and i am having major fun writing it!! This will be BellaxEdward of course (no jacob at all, yes!!) **

**anyway cheers again and keep reading**

**peace**

They were sitting at the far end of the lunchroom, away from the majority of people. Actually, they were right in my line of vision but I must have missed them as I was distracted by other things. Namely, Mike and his gang of stooges in my face. There were five of them, I counted. And as I stared I realised they were all immensely beautiful. The biggest boy looked incredibly muscular; his dark curly hair waving in the wind. The girl next to him possessed a figure many girls would kill for. She was slim, yet curvy and her long golden hair trailed down her back ending in a wave near her waist. Opposite them sat a blond boy, tall and lean who had his arm around a girl who was very thin, with a short black pixie haircut. I craned my neck trying to see the last figure, but my view was blocked when Mike put his arm around me and pulled me close.

"So Bella. How are you liking Forks?"

"So far, so good," I muttered, trying to extract myself from Mike's strong arms, but with no such luck. He gripped me tighter. I gave up and scowled. "Mike, could you let me go, please?"

"Oh yeah, sorry Bella," Mike said cockily. "Say, are you busy tonight? Do you want to go out with me for dinner or something?"

Jessica and her friends, I think one of them was named Lauren, gaped at me. I tucked a piece of hair behind my ears, trying to come up with an excuse and then remembered I had to go food shopping. _Thank god for Charlie's inability to buy decent food!_

"Sorry Mike. I can't. I have to go grocery shopping tonight."

"Okay, then how about tomorrow night?" Mike shot back.

_Think, Bella, think. Use your brain girl. _

"I, well…" I stammered.

_Ring! _Saved by the lunch bell, I jumped up and gathered my things.

"Sorry guys, got to go to class, don't want to be late!"

"Hey Bella," Mike spoke, "What class do you have next?"

"Biology II," I told him, hoping desperately he and I would not have the next class together. There was only so much of Mike I could take. And I'd already had more than enough of him today.

"Me too!" Mike crowed with a gleeful expression on his face. "I'll walk with you!"

_Great_. I could see him high five one of his friends, not discreetly mind you.

"Lead the way," I said glumly, resigned to my fate.

With Mike jabbering on at me every two seconds what movie we should see on our date, (he was obviously clueless) and my concentration focused on not slipping on the wet floor, I didn't notice we had already arrived at the biology room until I nearly walked into the door.

"Watch it, Bella. We don't want your gorgeous face to get harmed. Have you always been this clumsy?"

Mike obviously thought he was complimenting me. How very wrong he was.

I ignored him and shoved the door open, hoping it would slam back in Mike's face. My wish was not granted though and he walked past me, though not before brushing his hand across my backside and smirking. I scowled inwardly and gave the back of his head my best evil glare before walking up to the teacher, Mr. Banner to hand him my slip.

"Welcome, Isabella. You can go sit at the desk there," motioning to an empty desk in the middle of the room.

I cautiously made my way there and sat down. My partner had not arrived yet, and wanting to avoid Mike's obvious glances my way, I took my time getting my books and stuff out. Just as I was finishing up, I saw a movement at the front of the class and a boy walked in reading a book. I stared at him shocked; I had never seen anyone so, so, beautiful was the word. Hot did not describe this boy. He was the most gorgeous boy I'd ever seen. Tall and lanky, he wore black jeans and a deep green long sleeved shirt, but my eyes were drawn to his face. Intensely pale, and with glittering golden eyes, the sharp planes of his face contrasted heavily with his bronze windswept hair. He strode into the class, still reading, and approximately twenty metres from me; he stopped suddenly and gripped his book tightly. From where I was sitting it looked like he was crushing the book into a ball. _No he couldn't have been_, I told myself. His head shot up and his eyes immediately connected with mine. My gaze didn't waver, but I could feel the heat radiating out from my cheeks. _Why was this boy staring at me like I'm a freak? _As I watched him with interest, I noticed his eyes changing colour, from the sweet butterscotch favour into a darker, almost black colour. _What the hell? _My gaze broke away and I shook my head. Obviously I was losing my mind. I looked up again and to my surprise, he was gone. _Great, Bella. Scare him off with your freaky staring. Can you get any more weirder? _I shook my head again. Thankfully, the class began then. I looked around and saw that everyone had partners with them, except Mike; obviously this boy was meant to be my bio partner. He and Mike didn't look like buddies in my opinion. Well I hoped this boy wouldn't be stupid enough to be friends with someone like Mike. Mike was still looking at me, as were a few other boys. I shifted slowly, my hair falling over my face to hide from their creepy gazes. Mr. Banner was explaining an experiment that we had to conduct in the lesson.

"- so we will be testing our heart rates and then comparing them to other mammals, after resting and after exercising. In partners, you will check each other's pulses, and record how many times your heart beats in a minute, and then each of you will do ten pushups and your partner will check your heart rate then as you and record the figures. Bella, since your partner is not here, you can go with Mike. The stopwatches are over there. Please begin."

My heart sank and I shot a look at Mike, who looked very happy and was already walking over to me. "Hey Bella, bet you're feeling lucky right now. I'm so good at pushups. I usually do two hundred…"

"Mike," I held up my hand, cutting him off. "Let's just do this, okay?" I didn't want to be in his presence for much longer. I went to collect the materials and came back. Mike was playing with my pencil case and was about to write on it with a marker. I snatched it away before he could though, and said slowly, "Do. not. touch .my. things. Ever. You hear me?"

He actually looked flustered for a second, but then reverted back to the old Mike and said, "Oh sorry Bella. Am I taking things too fast here? I'll sign your things after our first kiss."

I stared at him in disbelief and a strangled giggle escaped my mouth.

"Are you alright Bella? Your face looks weird." Mike asked putting his hand on mine. I yanked my hand back and finding my voice, spoke. "I'm fine, let's just do this."

Needless to say, we got through the experiment fairly smoothly until the pushups when on his last one, Mike's arm slipped on the floor and he fell down hard on the floor, his face smashing into the hard tiles. I tried hard to control my giggles and succeeded, but Mike's nose looked broken and he ended up having to go to sickbay. I did my pushups and recorded my results and when class ended, I ran out and let out all the pent up laughter that I had been holding. This fit lasted for five minutes and as it was dying down (I tended to lose control when something funny happens and laugh uncontrollably), the pixie girl from the cafeteria walked past me and before I could compose myself I saw her smile and me and continue on. _Huh. People sure are friendly around here. _Finally controlling myself, I looked down at my schedule and discovered hell had not ended. Gym was up next and no doubt about it, I was terrible at it. Back home in Perth, we had to play football once and I ended up in hospital with a broken arm after running into the goal post by accident (I was trying to stop the other team from getting a goal). I sighed, and headed towards the gymnasium.

An hour later I was back in my truck and heading towards the grocery store. Gym had gone well, namely because the sports teacher had let me off this once as I hadn't got my sports uniform yet. _Ha ha, _I cheered, _Bella: two. Forks High: zero. _Noticing what looked like a grocery store, I slowed down and pulled into a parking space. It was called THRIFTWAY. The stores I usually frequented back home were Coles or Woolworths. I would have to see what they were up against. Walking inside I was glad to see they were much the same. I grabbed a shopping trolley and began what I like to call 'Bella Time.' Shopping, especially for food, always soothed me and the familiar products (though in different brands and packaging) were a pleasant sight. Grabbing necessities, as well as a few treats (hey chocolate is needed in all homes!) I walked up to the register and piled my purchases up. Charlie has given me some money the day before, but I still wasn't used to American currency as it was all the same colour. Back home the notes were different colours, which made it a hell of a lot easier to decipher and buy things. I managed to give the boy the right money, and receive my change and was walking away with the bags when he called back, "Miss! You forgot your receipt!"

I couldn't care less about it, and called back, "Keep it!" but the boy wouldn't take no for an answer. Ignoring the next customer, he vaulted over the register and ran towards me, before shoving the slip into my hand and giving me what he thought was a sexy grin. I saw it as a constipated look, but I held my tongue and walked back out. Looking at the receipt, I saw his phone number, with the words "_Call me, Gorgeous!" _scrawled across it. _Yuck! _I thought, and threw it into a puddle, before hopping into the truck and blasting the heat full bore.

Driving home I tried to think about many things. My new school, my classes, the people I'd met (I tried hard not to linger on the topic of that foul Mike Newton), but my mind kept wandering back to that boy who had walked in at the start of bio. I tried to convince myself that I was not the source of him leaving so quickly, but I couldn't deny that I felt something, some connection with him when we had stared so intently at one another. One thing was for sure, I was actually looking forward to school tomorrow and that is what scared me. I wasn't used to people actually looking at me. When I say that, I mean looking at me, Bella, not just what I look like on the outside. I had had hundreds of people comment on my beauty, and countless boys ask me out on dates, but no one had ever really caught my interest. This boy, however, had done just that. Sure he was gorgeous, but something about it was different from other people, and I was determined to find out why that was.


	4. The eye

**Hey everyone, i just want to say thankyou so much for the hits and reviews!! i am loving writing this story. i've been trying to showcase perth bands, so if anyone wants me to write in perth or other aussie bands, let me know! (panics and eskimo joe!!)**

**this chapter will hopefully give you a good laugh! **

**till next time, mercbella, peace. (weetbix is a australian breakfast cereal, also known as the breakfast of champions! how many do you do?!)**

Thankfully I woke up on time the next day and wandered downstairs for breakfast. Charlie was just heading out the door; he told me to have a good day and after we had exchanged goodbyes, I ate a bowl of cornflakes (no weetbix unfortunately was to be found on Thriftway's shelves) and headed upstairs to find something to wear. I had discovered that people here in Forks didn't dress up that much, though Jessica and her friends did seem to make an effort. In an effort to spruce myself up I chose a black miniskirt, stockings, boots, and a green jacket and ran a brush through my hair a couple of times. Checking my clock, I had heaps of time to get to school but left anyway, eager to be in the comfort of my truck. I had to admit, the truck was growing on me. Back home, I could never afford my own car, so I had to borrow Renee's old Holden if I wanted to go anywhere. It felt good to be independent and as I drove down the highway at a snail's pace (I was still a bit edgy about what had happened yesterday with my near death experience), a silver Volvo flashed by and overtook me, going at a suspiciously fast pace. I wondered what their hurry was but soon forgot about it as I turned on my ipod and chose a song. I turned into the school's parking lot while singing The Panic's, "Don't Fight It," and reached for the door handle only to find that the door was again jammed. I gave it a hard shove to no avail._ Damn door! _I was already reconsidering my love for the truck. The door wouldn't budge. _Okay, try the other door. _I clambered over the truck's console and tried to open that door. Luck was against me it seemed. I sat in the passenger's seat fuming. What was I supposed to do now? I considered climbing out the window, and was just open to roll it down, when I saw a flash of black outside and the door sprung open. I cheered in delight, and looked over to see the pixie like girl from yesterday standing there, smiling at me.

"Hi, I'm Alice Cullen. Seemed like you were having car troubles." She giggled.

I joined in. "Yeah, I know. Thanks heaps though. This truck seems had it but it's the only way to get to school and it's actually growing to grow on me. I'm Bella Swan, by the way."

"Nice to meet you, Bella," Alice said, holding out her hand. I grabbed my bag and jumped down from the truck to shake it.

"You too, Alice. And thanks again." I was very grateful. If she hadn't have been passing by I would have had to climb out the window and most likely have landed on my butt in a puddle.

"So you're new here then? I haven't seen you around," Alice asked with interest.

"Yeah, I'm a junior."

"Me too! You're from Australia right? I can tell. You accent is right out of Crocodile Dundee!"

"Is not!" I exclaimed. Did I sound like a bushman?

"Bella, I'm joking! So how do you like Forks?"

"Forks is…well, certainly interesting," I admitted. "I miss home quite a bit and the people are very…friendly is one word to describe it."

She laughed. "Yes, I'd imagine so. Let me guess. Jessica Stanley's got her claws into you and Mike Newton won't leave you alone?"

I gasped with surprise. "That's exactly right! He's already tried to feel me up once."

Alice giggled. "Poor Bella. Anyway I'd better get to class. See you around."

I smiled. "Yeah seeya, Alice. Nice meeting you."

I waved and headed towards English. Alice Cullen seemed very nice and actually genuine. _Maybe I would be able to find some real friends here in Forks_. I looked up to see Mike heading towards me and groaned. _On second thought, maybe I should move back to Australia so I can get as far away from Mike Newton as possible._

The morning passed very slowly but I was annoyed to see that my novelty had not worn off. People were still staring at me openly which led to an almost permanent blush being worn on my face.

"Why is everyone still staring at me?" I whispered to Angela as we walked to lunch. "So what? I'm new and I'm from another country? What's the big deal?"

She smiled. "Bella they're staring at you because you're beautiful. Every boy here wants to ask you out on a date. That's why."

I gulped. Oh man. I cannot deal with this many people looking at me for much longer. In my opinion, my beauty was a curse, not a blessing.

"Oh damnit. It's bad enough having Mike follow me round like a bloody puppy. I'm already sick of it."

We arrived at our table with our lunch. I had a sandwich and a bottle of water and sat down. I purposely ignored Mike's gesture and sat between Jess and Angela. I was beginning to remember some of their names: Lauren, Tyler, Eric, Bianca. Some of them asked me questions; I answered them without much enthusiasm. While the mindless chatter continued, I looked around the cafeteria and spotted Alice and her friends. As like yesterday, they sat not eating, talking amongst themselves. I caught Alice's eye and waved, and as I did, the person next her glanced at me. It was the beautiful bronze haired boy from biology. I immediately looked away and down to my food. Suddenly I wasn't that hungry.

"Edward Cullen is looking at you Bella. Do you know him?" Jessica asked, jolting me out of my reverie.

Edward Cullen. _So that's his name. _

"No I don't. And stop looking at him."

I suddenly realised something.

"Is he related to Alice Cullen, by any chance?"

Mike snorted. "Yeah, that group over there are all related one way or another. It's disgusting. Incest. Jasper, the blonde is going out with Alice, the dark haired chick. And Emmett that big one is with the hot blonde one, Rosalie. None of them are actually blood related. But they were all adopted by Carlisle and Esme Cullen. It's weird if you ask me." He turned his attention back to his food and scoffed down the rest of his cheeseburger. I stared at him gobsmacked; I'd never seen anyone eat so fast. Well, with the exception of Mrs. Johnson's Pomeranian, Matton sox.

"They're all snobs if you ask me. Especially Edward."

Jessica joined in. "He may be a snob, but he's a cute snob. He's so totally hot. But he acts like he's way too good for anyone here," she said pouting.

I stifled a laugh and looked back at him. He had turned his attention back to his siblings, but he looked as though he was concentrating extremely hard on something. I pushed him out of my mind and tried to join in the conversation that had arisen. The topic was the school dance coming up, a few weeks away. I actually liked dances but I wasn't going to admit that to Mike for obvious reasons. This line of reasoning was cut short as Mike turned to me.

"Hey Bella. You want to go to the dance with me?"

_Crap. __Think fast, Bella._

Everyone was staring at me, waiting for me to reply. I decided to let him down gently.

"Sorry Mike. But I'm not sure if I'm actually going to go to the dance or not." I was a bit annoyed that I would have to miss out, but if missing out on dancing was the only way to avoid Mike, I would do it. I congratulated myself on a job well done and took a huge bite of my sandwich, before Mike shrugged and said easily,

"That's alright, Bells. We'll go to prom together."

This reaction surprised me and I almost choked on my food, which led to Mike leaning over and thumping me hard on the back. I grimaced and let out a yell.

"Stop, Mike. I'm fine, okay?"

The bell rang; I grabbed my stuff before Mike could even finish his fries, and ran out of the cafeteria, almost slipping on the wet tiles. Once outside in the cool air, I took a few deep breaths to calm myself down. Mike had really gotten under my skin and now I was determined to make him see that I would never, ever go out with him. Sure I was used to lots of attention back home from boys, but there was something about Mike that really fired me up and annoyed me to no end.

I arrived at biology and slid inside, walking to my empty desk and sitting down. Thanks to my speedy departure from the lunchroom, I was the first one in class, so I took out my ipod and set it to my favourite song, "Black fingernails, red wine," by Eskimo Joe. I watched as people steadily trickled in from lunch (I shot a glare at Mike when he walked in; he pretended not to notice) and sat down. Mr. Banner arrived and just as I was wondering if I was set to have no bio partner for the rest of the year, Edward Cullen walked in and sat down next to me. Immediately I was very aware of the close proximity we shared, but to my dismay he had subtly angled his chair away from me, as if he was trying to be as far away from me as possible. I swallowed and tried not to be offended by his behaviour, but failed. Why was he acting like this? What this normal behaviour for him or had I offended him in some way? I stared at my workbook, thoughts flitting through my mind, all too aware of the beautiful boy sitting beside me.

"Hello," a quiet, velvety voice spoke.

My head shot up and my eyes turned to his. He was actually speaking to me?

"I'm Edward Cullen. It's nice to meet you."

A buildup of saliva was sitting in my throat and I swallowed. I was glad he had finally acknowledged my presence, so I managed to respond appropriately with,

"I'm Isabella Swan. I prefer Bella though. It's nice to meet you too."

He smiled at me, though it didn't quite meet his eyes and that's when I noticed that his eyes were a golden butterscotch hue again. I was confused but decided not to bring it up. I sighed, he looked at me confused and then Mr. Banner launched into the lecture. Apparently, we were to dissect a sheep's eye with our partners. I had already done this lab back home and had thrown up all over the desk, but I was determined to show this Edward that I could do it.

"I'll get the materials," he said. I noticed he jumped up fast; I hoped it wasn't to get away from me, but who knew? He seemed like a very mysterious person and I was already intrigued with him.

_Bella, what are you thinking? You just met the boy and you're already partially obsessed with him._

As always, I tended to analyse things too much. _Get a grip on yourself._

He came back with everything we needed ( I tried not to look at the eye) and we proceeded to set up our workstation. He spread out the newspaper, careful not to touch my hands, I noticed.

"Would you like to make the first incision, Bella?" he asked.

I paused, mentally calculating my chances of being sick. I could already smell the eye and it looked absolutely disgusting, but I nodded stupidly anyway and put on the gloves, before grabbing the scalpel.

_Okay, Bella, you can do this. Just pretend your cutting an egg. A nice big, bloody egg. No, stop that! You can do it._

I paused, the scalpel hovering over the eye. Edward was watching me intently; I could feel his gaze on my face. I took a deep breath and carefully bought the scalpel down, where the instructions told me to. Some black jelly oozed out and I got a big whiff of the stench emanating from the eye. That's what set me off. Edward obviously noticed something was wrong, but before he could say anything, the nausea overcame me and everything went black.


	5. Talk

**hey hey, two chapters in one day!! i'm on a roll. actually now that im getting to the good part (edward of course) i cant seem to stop. what can i say, he has that effect on me. lol!!**

**enjoy**

I opened my eyes to see Edward looking down at me, his face looking concerned. Mike was right behind him.

"Bella, are you alright?" Edward said urgently.

My mind swirled, trying to focus. I sat up shakily and rubbed my forehead.

"How long was I out for?" I asked groggily.

"About two minutes," Mike said, shoving Edward away and coming in close to my face. "You went down like a fallen tree! I'd never seen anything like it! I was watching you. Your eyes rolled back into your head and…" he trailed off, realising I was glaring at him.

"Thanks a lot Mike." Yeah, I really loved being compared to a massive, two tonne object. _Not. _I looked around; everyone had paused mid-cut and were staring at me. I noticed Edward had moved to the back of the room, though I could detect a slight grin on his face. I looked away with a sigh and moved to get up. Thankfully my skirt had not defied gravity and was still covering me. _Note to self: do not wear skirts to school_, I told myself. Mike grabbed my arm and helped me up, but did not release me.

"Thanks Mike," I said forcefully, taking my arm back.

"Are you okay, Bella? Do you need to go to the sickbay?" Mr. Banner asked kindly.

I nodded. I still felt a bit queasy and lightheaded and I couldn't stand to be in the same room as the sheep eye any longer.

"I'll take her," Mike volunteered eagerly.

"Excuse me, Mr. Newton," Mr. Banner interjected. "But I think Bella's partner, Edward should take her." I knew Mr. Banner was now my favourite teacher.

Mike looked dejected and I smiled. _Ha ha! _

I looked at Edward again. He was walking towards me with absolutely no expression on his face and I wondered again what he was thinking. I tested my limbs; I could walk alright, but would have to take it slow, I didn't want to faint again or throw up. Edward seemed hesitant to touch me. He gently took my arm, being careful not to touch my bare skin and led me out of the room. We walked slowly down the path, not speaking; I had no idea what to say to this boy. He didn't make any effort whatsoever. I took deep breaths trying to clear my head; it worked and I was able to think clearly again. My legs still felt weak, but I was determined to do this myself. He obviously couldn't stand to be around me, so I wouldn't make him. I stopped and turned to him, pulling my arm from him. I wobbled a bit and he put his arm out to steady me, but I held up my hand.

"Look Edward. Go back to class. I'll take myself," I told him and continued on.

He looked at me confused, "Bella you're sick. I'm taking you to the sickbay."

"It's fine Edward honestly. Go back to class," I kept walking, staring straight ahead.

And of course, that's when I stumbled on a patch of ice and started to fall. I closed my eyes and prepared myself for the impact, but it never came. I opened my eyes to see that Edward was now holding me in his arms.

I was mortified and struggled to get down while yelling at him to let me go, but he resisted, his arms refusing to move. I stopped struggling, took a deep breath and whispered, "Edward, please, put me down. I can walk okay? You can come with me, but I'm walking." He stared down at me, his gold eyes smoldering with a look of shock on his face. In that moment, he almost seemed vulnerable, as if he wasn't quite sure how I was in his arms. Instantly he let go of me and moved away from me.

"I, I'm sorry Bella. So sorry," he muttered.

I stood there, my head telling me to move on and my heart telling me to leap back into his arms.

_What the hell Bella? What's wrong with you?_

I shook my head and started walking again. I expected him to be right beside me, but when I looked around, he had gone. I could feel tears building up in my eyes and I couldn't believe it. I never got this upset! Especially over someone I had just met. What was wrong with me? Why did Edward have this effect on me? I tried to get a hold on myself, and promised myself that I could cry all I want when I got home, but right now I had to go to the sick bay. Hopefully, I could get out of gym and go straight home. Plan in place, I wiped my face and walked until I reached the sickbay that was located next to the office. Opening the door, I was relieved to feel the blast of heat that immediately soothed me; the wind was freezing outside. The receptionist, Ms. Cope, looked up startled.

"Hello dear. Bella, isn't it? My word, you do look pale. Come on," she led the way into the sickbay. I followed her in where I was met by a grandmotherly looking nurse. She told me to lie on the bed and I told her what had happened.

"Why didn't anyone come with you, dear? You might have fainted again on the way," she said disapprovingly.

I paused. I didn't want to get Edward into trouble, no matter how rude he was to me.

"I, well, I told my teacher I was fine."

She clucked at me and handed me some tablets that she said would help me with my nausea and stop any headaches that may arise later in the day. I took them without words, willing them to work. I felt a little better, but didn't want to face gym, or worse, Mike.

"Do you feel better dear," the nurse asked.

I spoke slowly to look like I was still in pain. "Not really. Do you think I could go home?"

"Sure, that's fine. I'll just get someone to take you. Wait here dear."

The pills were starting to make me feel drowsy, so I closed my eyes. It can't have been more than five minutes later, when the nurse came back in.

"Bella, dear, there's someone to take you home."

I nodded and got up. I wasn't really thinking properly, and as I exited, to my dismay, Mike was there waiting for me, car keys in his hand.

"Hey Bella, I'm here to take you home. Lucky you, huh? What happened to Cullen? He never came back to class?"

_Huh, strange. _

"I dunno. He walked me here and then left."

"Who cares? Let's go. Do you want me to carry you?" he asked already coming towards me, arms outstretched.

I almost gagged.

"No, no, I'll be fine, Mike." As if I would let him carry me. I was already feeling sick.

I walked out, not bothering to wait for me, resigned to Mike driving me home. It was raining outside and I had my hood up so I could barely see anything out in the parking lot. Even my truck was hard to spot but I saw it and carefully made my way there, Mike following me closely. To my intense surprise though, when I got to the truck, Edward Cullen was there, leaning against the driver's door. I stopped mid stride, Mike bumping into me from behind.

"Hurry up, Bella. It's freezing!" he whined; he hadn't seen Edward yet.

I stepped forward, "What are you doing here? You obviously can't stand to be near me." I knew I was being rude, but he deserved it. Edward stared back at me, but I didn't miss a look of hurt come into his eyes at my harsh words.

Mike had finally seen Edward. "What are you doing here, Cullen? Get back to class. _I'm _taking Bella home."

Edward and I both recognised the way Mike emphasised the word 'I'm.'

"Sorry Mike, you must be mistaken. I'm Bella's partner; therefore I shall be taking her home." He stepped forward.

Mike did too, stepping in front of me. "I don't think so. Now go away."

I thought I heard a growl coming from Edward, but I was too cold to care. My hair was streaming wet down my back, my teeth were chattering, and I just wanted to go home and have a nice, warm shower. I stepped forward.

"Mike, Edward, it's been great standing out here listening to you two argue," I spoke, my voice raised. "But I'm tired of it so I'll be driving myself home. Goodbye." I walked forward to the door and opened it, but before I could jump in, I felt something yanking on my jacket and I fell back into someone. Turning around I saw it was Edward. I blushed though I had no idea how that was possible; I was freezing cold. He held me tightly against him before releasing me and turning me around. He bent low and whispered into my ear, "Hop in the passenger's seat, I'm driving you home."

I shook my head, and calculated my chances of reaching the driver's seat, slamming the door, and taking off. I knew it was impossible.

He grinned, "I'll just drag you back again," and turned to Mike.

"Goodbye Mike."

I don't know how he did it, but before I could even process what was happening, I was in the passenger's seat and Edward was smoothly backing out of the car space. I looked down to see Mike looking dumbfounded with rain pelting down on him. Even funnier was that Edward managed to send a massive wave of rain towards Mike, drenching him in both mud and water. I stared at Edward astonished. He looked and me and laughed before saying, "It's all in the steering."

I knew I must look a mess; I was deathly pale, my clothes were stuck to me tightly, and my hair was windswept and all over the place. I glanced at Edward at he drove. He, on the other hand, looked like he'd just stepped out of the pages of a magazine. His bronze hair was messy, but it looked amazing and I could see droplets of water resting on him. I itched to reach over and run my fingers through his hair, but held them tightly clenched in my lap. Sitting there I also smelt something that smelled incredible. I couldn't describe it; it was too amazing for words. I wondered what cologne Edward was wearing but was too afraid to ask. He laughed and I looked up startled.

"What's so funny?" I asked. I hoped he wasn't laughing at what I looked like.

He looked at me again. "Oh Mike's face. It was hilarious wasn't it?"

I agreed. "Yep, funniest thing I've seen since moving here."

He fell silent and I stifled a grin.

The silence stretched into an awkward pause that lasted for a while. Edward finally broke it by saying, "This truck of yours. It's very slow, isn't it?"

My eyes narrowed; no one could insult my truck but me. "Hey, leave my truck alone. It gets me from A to B." I didn't mention the problem with the doors. Why give him more ammunition to insult my baby?

He didn't say anything after that. I decided to intervene and as they say 'break the ice.'

"Hey, what's with your eyes? They keep changing from gold to black. I've never seen anything like it before," I wondered.

He looked startled and froze for a second, before shrugging and looking away. I noticed his hands clenched even tighter on the steering wheel, his pale skin stretched tight.

Oh well, if he didn't want to chat that's fine with me. We drove the rest of the way in complete silence until we arrived at my house. I suddenly realised that Edward had no way to get home. Damn it, I'd have to say something.

"Ah, Edward? Do you want me to drive you home? I feel better now," I asked nervously.

He looked at me with an unfathomable expression. "No thank you, I'll be fine."

He handed me the keys to the truck and got out. I managed to push my door open and went round to meet him. Even though I couldn't understand this strange boy, I remembered my manners and thanked him.

"It's no problem," he said smoothly. "Goodbye Bella."

He began walking away from me back towards school. I stood there watching him until he turned around and spoke, "Go inside, Bella, its cold out here."

I nodded and walked up towards the house. Before I opened the door, I turned around for one last glimpse of him, but he had already gone. _How does he do that? _I thought to myself. Walking inside, I locked up and headed upstairs where I stripped off my damp clothes and hopped into the shower. I spent a long time washing myself, willing myself to get warm and then toweled off, got dressed in pajamas and dove straight into bed. My head had hardly hit the pillow before I drifted into oblivion, the image of Edward ingrained in my mind.


	6. Hospital

**New chapter! Whoot! thanks to everyone reading! please R&R!!**

I woke up feeling energised and ready for anything; that was until I peeked through my curtains and saw that the fog had vanished and the heavy downpour from yesterday had frozen into dangerous looking ice slicks. I groaned; it was going to be agony trying to get through the entire day without injuring myself. I threw on some jeans and my heaviest jacket and went downstairs to eat breakfast. Charlie had left already. I was a bit annoyed; I never got to see him these days and I vowed to spend some time with him on the weekend. Sure it was nice to be alone sometimes, but I missed having someone around in the house. I remembered I would have to check my email after school; Renee and probably Joyce would have emailed me to see how Forks was treating me. I grabbed my bag and locked up, before carefully maneuvering my way across the wet grass and into the warm comfort of my truck. Blasting the heat, I turned the engine on and very cautiously backed out onto the slippery, ice slicked road. It was bright outside and I had to shield my eyes a few times from the sun. The truck's wheels seemed sturdy though, and never faltered from the road.

As I drove, I tried to keep my mind busy with thoughts of an upcoming English essay, but it kept drifting to thoughts of Edward Cullen, and I couldn't deny that I very much wanted to see him again. The feeling of being in his arms the day before made me smile for a second, until I remembered the way he brushed me off when I mentioned his eyes. Why wouldn't he answer me? He seemed different from anyone I'd ever met and that made me cautious of him. The boys here seemed to take any opportunity to talk to me and ask me out; he, on the other hand seemed to go out of his way to avoid me. It wasn't as if I expected him to fawn all over me like Mike did, but I did want him to actually treat me civilly. I drove slowly into the parking lot, circled a few times looking for a space, and drive neatly into one. My luck continued and I was able to get the door open with no trouble. Jumping out, I began heading across the parking lot towards the school. I had only taken a few steps when all of a sudden I heard a loud screeching sound coming from my left, and as I looked sideways, I noticed a black van heading straight towards me, slipping and sliding on the ice. What was weird was that my eyes were also drawn behind the van, to where I saw Edward standing there with a look of absolute horror on his face. I shut my eyes tightly and waited for the bone crushing impact that I knew was about to come, but instead, I was hit from another direction and was thrown to the ground, my head whacking the ground with a loud crack. I struggled to my sense of my bearings. Shouldn't I be dead? That was until I felt something a lot smaller than a van holding me down. I turned my head to see the van's tires an inch away from my face, and then shifted to see a pair of golden eyes looking panicked in front of me. My head swam trying to make sense of what had happened and I couldn't keep my eyes open anymore. My head was aching and I was freezing cold.

He spoke first. "Bella, Bella, are you okay?" he said frantic. He actually sounded…scared?

I opened my eyes and tried to speak. "I, Edward, my head. It hurts." I could feel a throbbing pain at the back of my head.

"I know, Bella, I know. The ambulance is on its way."

I shut my eyes again and that's when I felt something brushing against my forehead. His fingers? I felt him lift me up easily and move closer to where I could hear the approaching sirens.

"It's okay, Bella," he said soothingly, "You'll be fine."

I whimpered. My head hurt so much. I needed to ask, my mouth finding the words.

"Edward?" I swallowed, "am I bleeding?"

I heard him sigh. "No Bella. But I think you might have concussion. You'll have a big bruise there though." He sounded relieved. I heard him mutter something else but couldn't make it out. We finally arrived at the ambulance. All around us people were screaming and shouting at us.

"Bella, are you okay?"

"Get her to the hospital!"

"Someone help Tyler out of the van!"

Edward deposited me onto a stretcher which was then loaded into the back of the ambulance. He stared at me one last time, his eyes blazing with some emotion I couldn't decipher, and then I closed my eyes and drifted off to sleep.

I awoke to the sound of someone snoring next to me. I found myself on a hospital bed, Tyler sleeping soundly next to me, his face covered with a myriad of cuts. I shifted slightly, the movement making the bed sheets rustle, and realised I was wearing a neck brace. Not caring whether I needed it or not, I threw it under the bed and waited for the doctor to arrive. I heard someone approaching and rearranged my facial expression; I was still in pain, but I didn't want to stay in the hospital for much longer. It was Edward; he had a concerned look on his face, though it was obvious he was trying to hide it.

"Hello Bella," he said gently, moving to sit on my bed. "How are you feeling?"

I tried to smiled, but it came out as a grimace. "I'm fine. What are you doing here?" I would have thought he had gone back to school.

He stifled a grin. "My father's a doctor here. He's going to be checking your injuries."

"Oh," I said, and then I remembered. I distinctly remembered seeing Edward _behind _the van before it nearly plowed into me. What was with that?

"Edward, tell me something," I spoke, trying to trap him in my words.

"Sure," he said pleasantly. "What is it?"

I hesitated, looking at Tyler to make sure he was still fast asleep. "I saw you standing behind the van before it nearly hit me. How did you manage to make it over to me and pull me out of the way?"

His face immediately turned hard and I noticed his hands clenching.

"I was right next to you Bella. I saw the van and pushed you away before it could hit you," he spoke emphasising his words. His eyes turned into liquid gold and I could feel myself being lost in them. What was going on?

"No!" I said, trying to clear my head, "that's not how it happened. I saw you!" I gritted my teeth. Why was he lying? How had he gotten to me that fast?

He spoke again, leaning closer to me. "Bella, please. Trust me," his voice was overwhelming sweet and I couldn't deny him any longer.

"Okay, but you have to tell me later." I said stubbornly.

He looked away and stood up. "Fine." Someone was coming.

A man walked into the room wearing a white coat. He was obviously my doctor. I stared at him; this must be Edward's father. He was incredibly good looking; blond wavy hair, with the trademark Cullen golden eyes. I wondered how this family managed to scoop all the beauty genes. Totally unfair. I didn't notice my mouth was open and I was staring until he cleared his throat. I immediately shut my mouth. _Nice, Bella, real nice._

Edward was looking at me weirdly; I couldn't even begin to describe his expression. It looked like a cross between a smirk and…jealousy? Nah couldn't be.

"Hello, Bella. I'm Carlisle Cullen, your doctor for today. How are you feeling?" he said kindly coming over to my side.

"I, I'm okay. Actually, never better. Can I go now?"

He held up his hand, chuckling. "Hold on, just let me check your head."

I could feel him gently probing my skull. I held my breath; it really hurt.

"Does this hurt?" he asked, hesitating at a particularly painful spot.

"No," I whimpered, wincing. Damn it! I wanted out of here.

He raised an eyebrow and exchanged glances with Edward. "I'm not so sure. We'll have to keep you in for observation. You have concussion."

I shut my eyes and fell silent. I knew it was pointless trying to convince Dr. Cullen I was fine. The doctor had spoken.

"Fine," I said listlessly. "Does Charlie know?"

"I notified him and he's on his way now. Just rest Bella. You'll be fine. You can go home tomorrow, okay?"

I nodded slightly; my head still felt sore. I just wanted to be left alone. A loud snore erupted from the bed beside me. I groaned inwardly; can it get any worse? I didn't want to stay here all night with Tyler next to me.

Dr. Cullen looked at me and then looked at Tyler. "I'm sorry Bella. You'll have to stay in here tonight. There aren't any spare rooms available." He looked sorry but I knew it wasn't his fault.

"Whatever," I said. "Can I just be alone now?"

Edward and his father exchanged another glance. Dr. Cullen nodded and said,

"Okay Bella, just rest now, okay? I'll be in later to check on you. For now though here are some tablets to help with your pain." He handed me a cup and some water and I swallowed them.

"I'll see you in a little while Bella," Dr. Cullen spoke, before taking his clipboard and exiting the room. Edward, on the other hand, walked over to the chair and settled himself down in it.

I glared at him, "What are you doing? I just want to be alone." I had no time for niceties. I had to face an entire night with snore boy next to me.

He chuckled, "I'll just be here til Charlie arrives, okay? Just to make sure you're okay."

I gaped at him and then narrowed my eyes. "Fine then. We'll have plenty of time to talk about how you saved me. Let's start with how you managed to run the length of the parking lot in two seconds, shall we?"

He glared at me, jaw tight. "I don't know what you're talking about. I was right next to you Bella. Obviously you hit your head pretty hard. You're mistaken."

"No, I'm not," I spoke through my teeth. I was going to make him tell me the truth.

"You think I ran that fast?"

I nodded, waiting for him to continue.

"No one will believe that, Bella." he said hard.

I looked up surprised. "I wasn't going to tell anyone about it. I just want to know how you did it."

He mirrored my face; surprise was etched on his features too.

"Really? Well I'm sorry, but it's like I said, I was standing next to you."

I looked at him defiantly. I couldn't believe this. He was lying to me again?

"What's the point? Why did you even bother saving me?"

He looked at me again, his face suddenly vulnerable.

"I'm not sure," he said softly, before getting up and leaving the room.

I leaned back on the bed before exhaling noisily. I could hardly believe his reaction; let alone what I had convinced myself. Had he really ran that fast to save me? Now I wasn't so sure. I wasn't sure if my mind was playing tricks on me or if that bizarre event had really occurred. I lay there analysing everything that had happened; Charlie arrived a few minutes later. He ran in and hugged me.

"Ouch Dad! Mind the head." I wasn't used to this sort of affection from my father, but I liked it.

"Bella, honey, how are you feeling? Does it hurt?" Charlie said, before letting go and sitting on my bed.

"Dad, I'm fine. Apparently I've got concussion, so unfortunately I'll have to stay here tonight."

"I'm staying here with you then," Charlie insisted.

"No Dad, really it's fine. I'll just be sleeping. It'll be uncomfortable for you. You have to work tomorrow." I didn't want him to suffer like I had to.

"Bells, are you sure?"

"Positive."

Tyler woke up then and I was forced to endure fifteen minutes of him apologising over and over for his van nearly squishing me.

"Bella, I am so sorry! The ice, I couldn't control my van, it just slipped and I saw you there, but I couldn't stop and-…"

I interrupted him. I'd had enough. "Tyler, stop please. I'm fine. Now if you don't mind I've got a headache, so please would you be quiet." I wasn't usually this rude, but somehow Forks had brought out that side of me. I liked it.

He eventually quieted down and after he took a few more pills, fell asleep once more. Thankfully, his snores didn't start up again.

Charlie and I looked at each other.

"Are you sure you're gonna be alright, Bells?" he said, looking concerned.

"Dad, I'll be fine. Go back to work. I'll see you tomorrow okay? Pick me up?"

He stood up and gave me a hug. "Okay honey, I'll see you tomorrow. Call me if you need anything okay?"

I said okay and he left then, finally giving me some peace and quiet. I fell asleep not long after and only awoke to eat some of the hospital food that waited for me. Hardly inedible, the tuna casserole and mixed bean salad was not fit for animals in my opinion. I swallowed a few bites then pushed the tray away, before falling asleep again.

I awoke in the middle of the night. My head was still fuzzy and my senses dulled, but I could have sworn I had seen someone sitting in the chair next to my bed. Someone with bronze hair. Obviously I was dreaming. I shifted over and fell asleep again almost instantly.


	7. Invitation

**this chapters just a filler- better one involving edward up next!! Enjoy and please review- i've had hundreds of hits and only 5 reviews- come on!!**

Charlie picked me up the next day early before Tyler could wake up (I was extremely glad about that) and I decided to stay home from school and rest. My head was still sore and I couldn't face everyone at school fussing over me. More importantly, I was still suspicious of Edward and his refusal to tell me the truth and I wasn't sure I could face him after our argument last night without blowing up at him again. I knew what I had seen but I wasn't sure what to make of it. It sounded bizarre. Crazy even, that a seventeen year old boy or any human being for that matter could cover that amount of distance in only a few seconds. I spent a good portion of the morning lying in bed, but after a few hours of lying motionless and starting listlessly at the ceiling, I had had enough and got up to have a shower. Pulling on track pants and a sweater afterwards, I marched downstairs in search of something to eat. I hadn't eaten much these past few days but now my appetite had come back. I made myself a toasted cheese sandwich and heated up some chicken soup. Bringing the food on a tray over to the couch, I flipped on the television and tried to find some entertaining to watch. We had a total of four channels and not surprisingly, there wasn't anything worth watching so I just tuned in to an old episode of Oprah and slurped my soup. Two hours later, with Dr. Phil coming to an end, I got up and stretched. My muscles were sore from not doing any movement, but my head felt a bit better so after washing my dishes, I headed upstairs to start on some homework. There wasn't a lot to do seeing as I'd just started school, but I had an essay due next week so I set about writing a rough draft. After a few hours, I was sick of that and decided to check my email. I logged onto my account and was happy to see emails from all my friends and one from my mum.

_Bella,_she wrote,

_How are you? I miss you, sweetie. How's Forks? Phil and I have arrived in Adelaide. Don't worry, we're fine! We've settled in and are having a grand old time. Have you made any friends yet? I hope Charlie's treating you well._

_Write soon, Bells._

_Love, Mum_

I smiled. My mother wasn't much of a writer but she still managed to make me feel loved. I set about telling her about my life in Forks, not mentioning my trips to the sick bay and the hospital. I didn't want her getting all worried and flying out here for no reason.

_Hey Mum,_

_Everything's fine. The flight wasn't great, as you already know. Charlie's great- he actually brought me a truck! It's really old and slow but I love it. School's okay, not too challenging though. I've made some friends- the people here are really nice. Forks is freezing and really wet!! Way different to Perth – I need more winter clothes! It's actually been snowing, can you believe it? I don't like it but I'm getting used to it. I miss you mum and I love you. Say hi to Phil for me and take care._

_Love, Bella_

I sent that and then decided to go outside and get some fresh air; I had been cooped up inside for way too long. It wasn't too cold outside, but I grabbed a blanket and a book to read off my desk and headed out the back. The back of our house faced into the forest, though the yard was encircled by a wire fence that determined the boundaries. I chose a nice dry spot and shook out the blanket, before collapsing on it with a sigh. I really should stay home more often. The book I'd chosen was Wuthering Heights- one of my favourites, but now that I was actually outside, I decided to just lie back, close my eyes and relax. I remembered the yoga classes I took back in Perth and used some of those techniques to breathe in and out deeply. I concentrated on relaxing all my body parts, until unknowingly, I had fallen asleep.

I was running through the forest; my clothes ripped and covered in mud. The ground was wet and slippery, and I fell a few times trying to get away. I could hear someone behind me getting closer and closer and pushed myself harder but it wasn't enough. My face was bleeding heavily; I had scraped it when I fell over and my muscles ached from overexertion. I knew I couldn't keep running for much longer. I spotted a figure in the distance up ahead, but couldn't make out their face- they were facing away from me.

"Help!" I screamed, my throat raw. "Please, help me!"

The person turned towards me and grinned at me, blood dripping messily from his mouth.

"Hello Bella," Edward said.

I screamed and that's when I woke up, dripping in sweat and shivering at the same time. The sun had fallen and nightfall had begun. _It's just a dream, _I told myself. But it had felt so real and I could remember every little detail. My heart beat was beginning to slow down to its normal rate, but I couldn't shake the feeling that the dream meant something. Not one to let silly dreams scare me; I got up and walked inside just as Charlie was arriving home from the police station.

"Hey Dad. How was work?" I called walking into the living room where he was sprawled across the couch.

"Oh hey Bells. Work was fine. How are you feeling? Is your head still giving you trouble?" he asked, looking concerned.

I nodded. "It still hurts a bit, but I'll be fine. I'm a trooper."

"That you are, Bells. You inherited that from me."

"Sure Dad," I laughed. "You hungry?"

He raised an eyebrow. "Am I hungry? Are you kidding, I'm starving!"

I laughed and walked into the kitchen. "How does an omelette sound? It'll be ready in about fifteen minutes."

I heard the television turn on and Charlie grunt in affirmation and then got to work fixing dinner. We ate together while watching baseball; I never really got into it, but Charlie loved it. It was funny to watch him cheer on his team. He would get up and yell at the television and cheer loudly whenever his team was in the lead. I shook my head. _Men. _Looking at the clock, I saw that it was late enough to go to bed and then excused myself, went up to my bedroom, and fell asleep in a matter of minutes.

I awoke to sun streaming through my curtains and deathly silence. Could it be? I threw back the covers and ran over to the window. Yes! Finally, the rain had stopped and today was going to be great weather- nice and warm, what I was used to. I couldn't wipe the smile off my face and in honour of the weather, put on the first ever t-shirt I'd ever worn in Forks- a tight, emerald green shirt that contrasted nicely I thought with my skin. I told myself I was doing this for myself, not for a certain person who shall remain nameless. I refused to think about him this morning. He confused me and I didn't like feeling like that. Normally I was confident and self-assured, but here in Forks, things were different and I wanted the old Bella back. I _needed_ the old Bella back. I put on my inescapable jeans (I knew better than to push my luck), threw down some breakfast and headed outside. I even skipped over to my truck while whistling. Wow! Who knew a little bit of sun could make me feel this way? I have obviously taken good weather for granted back in Perth and so was determined to make the most of today. I drove to school; the windows rolled down, letting the wind blow through my hair. It felt divine and I pulled into a space right in front of the school. While walking to English I even waved to a few of my classmates and talked with Angela about what had happened yesterday. She asked me what had happened and I told her I had concussion; she didn't mention Edward and neither did I. I would keep his secret even though he couldn't trust me. The morning went well; I received full marks for a pop test we had in Trig. Jessica and I walked to lunch. I noticed that she mentioned Mike a few times and wondered if she had a crush on him. I hoped so; maybe it would get him off my case. We entered the lunchroom, still talking. My eyes went instantly to where the Cullen's usually sat. Their table was empty. My heart sank and I trudged glumly to the food line as I got my food and then went to sit down. I knew I shouldn't feel like this, but I couldn't help it. I wanted to see Edward and that was a very bad thing. I tried to keep my mind of him by launching into the conversation that Mike had brought up. Apparently one of his friends in Port Angeles was having a party on Saturday night and he was asking if anyone wanted to come. Jessica and Lauren said yes immediately, but Angela turned him down- she had to baby-sit her little brother for the night.

"Bella?" Mike turned to me, his eyes hopeful.

I considered my options. On one hand, I didn't really want to go out with Mike, even if Jessica and Lauren would be there, but on the other, I hadn't gone out in a really long time and I was sick of doing nothing. I wanted to go and have some fun.

"Sure, I'll come. What time is it?"

"It starts at eight. I could pick you-…"  
Jessica butted in before he could say what I was dreading. I silently thanked her.

"I'll pick you up Bella on the way. It's no trouble."

I smiled. "Hey thanks Jess."

Mike and Lauren looked disappointed but I didn't really care. I was already looking forward to tomorrow night. Hopefully it would distract me from other thoughts that kept returning to yesterday. I was anxious to get out of Forks and experience something new. I wasn't used to staying home all the time.

After school had finished I drove home, pondering how to go about asking Charlie about the party. To my surprise, I only needed to ask him once and he agreed almost at once; it seemed he had noticed my lack of enthusiasm about Forks and was willing to let me go to this party.


	8. Saved!

**hey i had a review that said that i wasn't writing bella properly- i just wanna make make it clear that this is a different interpretation of Bella- she has a different personality than the one we know and love! anyway thanks for reading!! (i hope i wrote this chappie alright!!) i think you will like it**

The next day was Saturday. I cleaned the house from top to bottom and then finished my homework. By the afternoon I was all done and was counting down the hours until I could get out of the house. I decided to start on dinner. Thanks to my trip to Thiftway a few days before, the fridge was fully stocked. I decided to make enchiladas. I knew Charlie would probably have never tried them in his entire life but there's always a first for everything in my book. I diced up the chicken and vegetables before wrapping the mixture in tortillas and sprinkled cheese over the top and set it in the oven to cook. Charlie arrived later and we started to eat. I was happy to see that Charlie actually seemed to enjoy the food. We finished up and I quickly did the dishes before bounding upstairs to pick something to wear. Back home, I usually wore a dress and heels to a party so I decided to follow protocol and chose a deep violet mini dress, black heels, and a black cropped leather jacket. I left my hair the way it was in long shiny waves, but put on eye liner, mascara and some lipstick to accentuate my features. Just as I was finishing up, I heard a honk from outside announcing Jessica's arrival. I rolled my eyes. Far be it for her to actually get out of her car and ring the doorbell. Grabbing my clutch, I yelled goodbye to Charlie and ran out to Jess' car.

"Hey Bella," she said, appraising my outfit. "Hop in."

"Thanks Jess. Hi Lauren," I said to the girl in front. She didn't even bother turning around.

"Oh hi Bella. Dress up much?" she said snidely.

I chose to ignore her and buckled my belt before Jess backed out and turned in the direction of Port Angeles. It took about an hour to get there; Jess and Lauren talked most of the way, mainly about the boys at school, Mike in particular. I didn't have much to contribute but Lauren seemed intent on asking me questions about Mike.

"So Bella," she said turning around. "When are you and Mike going to go out?"

I sighed. "Never. I'm not interested in Mike that way. And I've told him that but he doesn't seem to get it."

"He seems to think you like him. Maybe you're sending him all the wrong signals."

My mouth fell open in shock. "Sorry, but I've made it quite clear to him that I don't want to go out with him. It's like talking to a brick wall though. He doesn't seem to get it."

I could see Jessica listening intently to our conversation and remembered how on Friday she had seemed particularly interested in what Mike had to say.

I tried again. "All I'm saying is that no one in Forks has caught my eye yet. Okay?"

I looked at Jess; she looked relieved, but Lauren looked disappointed and turned back around in a huff. Thankfully, we had arrived at the party. I could see a large house with lights blazing inside and people milling about outside with drinks in their hands. Jessica parked a few houses away and we got out, before making our way inside. The place was packed and there seemed to be quite a few people who looked a lot older than us. I didn't recognise anyone from school. As soon as we walked through the doors, all eyes turned to us and a few people whistled.

"Hey babe!"

"Hey hotties! Come over and join us!"

I rolled my eyes, but Jessica and Lauren actually looked flattered and were smiling widely. Trying to ignore the obvious stares and wished I hadn't worn something so revealing, although Lauren's dress was far more revealing than mine and Jessica's dress was so short it was more like a belt. We had almost made it into the living room when I felt a hand grab my backside and I snapped. No one does that and gets away with it. Turning around quickly I grabbed the guy's arm and twisted it back before he cried out in pain and I dropped it. I glared at him before walking off to find the others. I found them in the kitchen with Mike and Tyler standing around a massive keg. The boys were filling up glasses for the girls and when they spotted me, I swear, it looked like their eyes were about to pop out of their heads.

"Hey Bella! You look amazing!"

"Yeah you do Bella. You want a drink?"

I muttered thanks and stepped forward to get a glass for myself. Jessica and Lauren quickly finished theirs and filled up their seconds. I took a sip of mine; it wasn't that great but it was drinkable. We found a free couch to sit on, but then Jess and Lauren wanted to get up and dance. I joined them for a few dances, but my heart wasn't in it, so after grabbing myself a coke, I went and sat back down. It was actually pretty entertaining watching the others dance as they became progressively drunker. They kept trying to do moves right of the Pussycat Dolls film clips but weren't succeeding. I could see Mike and Tyler trying not to laugh behind them, before turning around to chat up some other girls. Just as I was about to venture out and find a toilet, two men sat down next to me. They both looked to be around twenty, both tall and with impressive looking muscles. The one next to me had greasy looking black hair and sharp blue eyes.

"Hey there. What's a girl like you doing sitting here all alone? Where's your boyfriend?"

I grimaced. Great pickup line. _Not. _I just wanted them to go away.

"I don't have one. But if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go and dance with my friends."

He put his hand on my knee and I looked down annoyed.

"Excuse me," I said sharply, removing his hand and walking over to the others. They were still dancing wildly.

"How many drinks have you two had?"

Jessica paused. "Ah, how many drinkies have we had, Loz?"

"Two," Lauren said, before slipping over onto her backside. "Oomph! Ow!"

Her drink had spilled down her front and her skirt had ridden up. I sighed and bent down to help her up and I noticed the two men from before staring at me. _Jerks. _I ignored them and brought Lauren up who was giggling madly. I vowed never to go out with these two again. I wondered how Angela did it.

"Jessie, you wait here okay? I'm just gonna take Lauren to the bathroom so she can clean up, okay?"

Jessica nodded and kept on dancing. I was truly amazed at her energy and smiled despite the situation I was in. Dragging the giggling Lauren, I managed to find the occupied bathroom and waited before it was free. I grabbed some toilet paper and managed to wipe up most of the drink that covered her body, before noticing that she was looking very pale.

"Bella? I feel sick," she managed to get out before throwing up into the sink. I stared fascinated as she threw up quite a lot of spew. I didn't know she ate so much. What a fun night I was having. _Not. _I decided to go and see if Mike or Tyler could drive us home. I'd had enough and I was pretty sure Jess and Lauren had too. I left Lauren hunched over the toilet bowl and stepped out of the bathroom and that's when I felt this weird sensation that something wasn't right. I felt someone behind me but before I could turn around I felt someone grab my arm and yank me sideways through a door. It was dark in the room and I half fell onto the ground as the person who had grabbed me shut the door. I heard the lock click over and my heart sank. My palms were all sweaty and I cleared my throat, trying to find my voice.

"Hey, what the hell's going on?" I demanded, trying to sound casual but failing.

I could hear someone moving around the room, but my eyes still hadn't adjusted to the dark. My heart pounding fast, I moved to get up; I knew which direction the door was in so I began moving forward, but before I could get anywhere, someone grabbed me and dragged me over to what felt like a couch. I tried to kick whoever it was and managed to let out a scream before a hand clamped over my mouth and I heard someone say,

"Don't try that again sweetheart. No one's going to come and rescue you now."

I recognised that voice- it belonged to the man that had tried to feel me up before on the couch. I bit him as hard as I could and he let go with a yelp but before I could scream for help again, he slapped me hard across the face. My head snapped back and I felt tears spring to my eyes.

"Don't ever do that again, you hear me?"

I fell silent and tried to think. How was I going to get out of this? I was already panicking but I tried to remember how to defend myself. Knee in the groin was standard, as was a punch to the nose. I was lying on the couch though and I felt the man climb up over me and straddle me. I jerked quickly trying to get him to move and kept wriggling, my arms flailing hopelessly hitting his chest, but he was too heavy and he grabbed my fingers tightly before squeezing them so hard, I heard a crack of my pinky breaking and then the first wave of pain hit me. I yelped out in pain before my attacker stuffed a wad of material in my throat to gag me.

"I told you to be quiet, sugar!" he said, before running his fingers up my leg and under the hem of my dress. I tensed, tears running down my face, the pain shooting up my arm and tried to move my legs but it was no use. He was just too strong and too heavy for me to do anything. He bent down; I could smell the alcohol on his breath and ripped my jacket off me. My shoulders twisted painfully and I gasped again in pain. I was panicking; my breath coming out hard and fast. I needed to get away. But how? I could feel his hands running down my sides, and closed my eyes. There was nothing I could do. I squirmed trying to dislodge him, trying to get away, trying to raise my arms to push him off me, but all my struggling had weakened me and it was like trying to push against a brick wall. It was impossible. This was really going to happen. I just wanted it to be over. Just as I heard him grunt and then unzip his pants, the door flew open with a bang and I saw someone silhouetted in the doorway before my attacker was lifted off me and thrown through the window. I heard a growl and then the lights flickered on. I closed my eyes, shying away from the light; it hurt and I was still afraid. I could feel sobs wracking my body and I was shivering with both cold and fear. I couldn't control myself. I felt the gag being pulled from my mouth and tensed again, curling up on my side.

"Oh Bella," a voice called, filled with pain. "Bella, it's okay. You're okay."

I couldn't answer as the sobs had taken over my body and I was crying so hard, I couldn't see out of my tear filled eyes. I felt shattered. Even though it hadn't actually happened, I felt like a part of me had been ripped out. Eventually, my tears subsided and I was able to see again. Edward was standing before me, staring at me with pain and sadness etched in his features. I swallowed and reached down to fix my dress; it had ridden up partway, but as I did my pinky brushed across the couch and I cried out in pain.

"Bella? What is it?" Edward asked his voice rough with tension. I couldn't speak; I could only hold up my hand, wordlessly.

"He broke your finger?" he asked, horrified.

I nodded. Edward growled again and a murderous expression crossed his face.

He stepped forward. "Do you mind if I pick you up? I'm taking you to see my father."

I swallowed again, trying to find my voice. "No, just take me home," I said softly, my voice breaking.

I didn't want anyone to know what had happened. I just wanted to forget any of this had occurred.

"Bella, your finger's broken. You need medical treatment. Please let me take you. We have to go now before anyone sees us." His tone had calmed down, but I could hear the anger in his voice.

I paused and then nodded, "Fine," I said softly. My finger was still hurting, but it bore no comparison to the emotional pain I was feeling at the moment. He stepped forward and picked me up easily and then strode from the room heading towards the front door. As he walked, people fell silent and stared at me; I burrowed my face into Edward's chest. The adrenaline had worn off and I was still shivering. Edward's chest was surprisingly cold and before I knew it, my teeth were chattering. Edward looked down at me and then in one quick movement, shrugged out of his sweater still carrying me, and covered me with it. We reached his Volvo and he carefully lifted me into it, before buckling my seatbelt and hopping in himself. I couldn't stop thinking about what had happened and what _would _have happened if Edward hadn't have been there. My eyes stared, unfocused through the windshield, almost unblinking. I was still shivering, and my posture hadn't relaxed. I kept replying the last few moments over and over again. Trying to get him off me. My finger snapping. The pain. Being gagged. I didn't even realise I was crying again until I felt Edward's fingers brushing softly against my cheek. I tensed and turned away from him. I couldn't stand being touched at this moment.

"I'm sorry, Bella. So sorry," I heard him say. I turned to him and what I saw broke my heart. He looked like he was in pain, his face twisted in anguish, yet I could detect no tears falling from his face.

"It's not your fault," I told him softly, finally getting control of my tears.

"I know. But I should have gotten there faster," I heard him mutter.

The drive was considerably shorter than other trips I'd taken to and from Port Angeles. The whole way I could feel Edward's gaze trained on my face, and I tried to get a hold of myself for his sake. I took a deep breath, but it didn't disguise the shudder that passed through me. I knew I looked terrible; makeup and tears smudged all over my face, hair knotted, but it didn't matter to me. We pulled up in front of a large white house. I didn't take much notice of it, but I saw two figures standing on the porch waiting for us. Edward opened my door and I stepped out, staggering a little. Edward's arms caught me though and he carried me up to where I saw Alice and Carlisle. The expressions on their faces were blank.

"Edward, take her up to your room," Carlisle said.

I closed my eyes and felt myself being taken upstairs and being gently laid on a bed. I opened my eyes and saw Carlisle sitting next me. Edward had moved away to stand with Alice against the wall.

"Bella, I'm sorry. But I need to you some questions. Did your attacker actually sexually assault you in any way?"

I heard a hiss coming from across the room and tried to remember. "No, but, he…" I swallowed. "He was going to. If Edward hadn't come in, he, he would have."

I looked over at Edward. He stared back, his eyes pitch black now.

Carlisle cleared his throat. "Okay, Bella. Any injuries?"

"He hit me hard across my face, and I think I'll have a few bruises from where he grabbed me. He also broke my pinky finger," I said, holding out my hand.

Carlisle held it gently and felt around the bones.

"I think it's broken. I'll just bandage it for you."  
After he had finished and I'd taken some pills to help with the pain, he stood up. "Bella, would you like one of us to take you home, or would you like to stay here for the night?" he asked kindly.

I was tired and exhausted; my eyelids were already drooping and the bed felt so nice.

"Can I stay here?"

"Sure," Carlisle said. "Goodnight, Bella, we'll see you in the morning."

"Night Bella!" I heard Alice say before she and Carlisle filed out.

Edward came over to me. "Night Bella," he said, before placing a soft kiss on my forehead. My mind froze. I cleared my throat again.

"Edward?" I asked nervously, trying to stay awake.

"Hmmm?" he said, pushing a strand of hair out of my eyes.

"Will you stay?"

"Sure," he said before moving to sit in his desk chair.

"No, I mean here, with me," I said, motioning to the bed.

He froze for a second, but then his eyes softened, and he came over and lay down next to me. I paused for a second but then moved closer to him and he put his arms around me.

I managed to say, "Thanks for everything," before the pills overcame me and I drifted off into sleep.


	9. Explanations

**Hey all! please R&R!!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own _Twilight_**

I was dreaming. In my dream, I was reliving what had happened last night. Arriving at the party, dancing with Jess and Lauren, the men trying to make a pass at me, getting dragged into the dark room, getting slapped. Just as my finger snapped I screamed and I woke up, shaking hard, to find myself looking into Edward's eyes.

"Shh, Bella, it's okay," he consoled me, his hands on my face, his eyes boring into mine.

"I…I was dreaming, about…what happened," I paused, taking a deep breath and willing myself not to cry.

Edward stared at me and then tentatively, lifted his hand and traced my eye and around my cheekbone.

"You have a big bruise there. He must have hit you pretty hard." His eyes grew hard and I nodded slowly and stared back at him trying to stop shivering. I suddenly realised I was in Edward's bed, lying so close to him we were touching.

"Oh! I'm sorry," I stammered, rolling away from him. He grabbed my arm before I could get anywhere though and drew me close to him, wrapping his arms securely around me before resting his chin on the top of my head. My mind swirled trying to process what was happening.

"I'm confused," I said softly against his chest. "I thought you hated me."

I felt him freeze against me and then he swiftly grabbed my chin and drew it up so I had nowhere to look but his eyes.

"Why would you think that?" he asked his voice soft.

I paused for a moment; the force of his eyes was dazzling me and I was finding it hard to concentrate.

"Well for one thing, that first day in biology, you saw me and the next minute you were gone, and then on the way to the sickbay you just left me, and then you couldn't even trust me enough to explain how you managed to save me. You were always trying to avoid me and I'm not sure, but every time you looked at me, I couldn't even begin to understand what you were thinking. You're so different from the other boys here, Mike and Tyler, and the others, and I thought well, maybe it was because you didn't like me for some reason."

I finished my spiel and waited for Edward to speak. Minutes passed by and I grew impatient, before deciding that I'd had enough and I wanted to go home.

"Fine," I said annoyed, trying to wriggle out of his grasp. "You obviously can't trust me so I'm going."

I shifted over in one quick movement and stood up pulling my dress down, but not before Edward could see the line of bruises on my thighs that stood out, ugly and purple against my alabaster skin.

I heard Edward catch his breath and I tried to pretend it was no big deal.

"Edward, it's fine, honestly," I said, running my fingers through my hair and wishing I looked better than what I did. I couldn't deny the feelings that were coursing through my body, wishing I was back in his arms, but it was obvious he didn't feel the same way.

"Bella, it's not fine. You were nearly raped last night, you're finger is broken and you're acting like it's no big deal!" he demanded, his voice harsh.

I stared back at him, shocked. I'd never heard him speak that way.

"I'm not acting like it's no big deal," I said, my voice small. "I just want to forget it ever happened," I said, trying hard to hold back tears.

Just then I heard a knock at the door and Alice entered, carrying a small pile of clothes.

I saw her glare at Edward, but then she turned to me with a smile on her face.

"How did you sleep Bella?" she asked.

"Fine," I muttered.

She held out the clothes to me. "Here, I thought you might want to take a shower."

I smiled. "Thanks Alice." She turned to leave and I followed her without a backward glance.

"Where's everyone else?" I wondered. The other Cullen's were nowhere to be seen.

"Just out doing things," Alice responded. She didn't elaborate and I didn't ask for more information. It wasn't my business.

We entered the bathroom. Decorated with white and violet tiles, it was gorgeous. It was bigger than my entire bedroom and housed a shower, a bath, and a spa. Cluttered around the sink were beauty products of every kind imaginable. I stared, open mouthed with awe.

Alice saw my expression and laughed. "This is mine and Rosalie's bathroom. Pretty cool, isn't it?"

I nodded. "I've never seen anything like it."

"Take a shower, a bath, whatever you feel like. And feel free to use anything. Take your time okay?"

I thanked her and she left, leaving me to undress. I took off my dress, wincing as I brushed the many bruises that appeared. I also examined my face in the mirror. Thankfully, my mascara hadn't run, but I had a small black eye and my cheekbone sported a bruise. I stepped into the shower, grateful for the heavy spray that pummeled my body. I used some rose body wash and then shampooed my hair, before stepping out and carefully drying myself. Alice had given me some comfortable looking black yoga pants and a blue long sleeved shirt and I put them on. They fitted perfectly and I rubbed my towel through my hair, deciding to let it air dry. I looked at my face again. My skin looked deathly pale, contrasting horribly with the bruise. I sighed and then picked up my dress and heading out. I checked Edward's room but it was empty, so I wandered downstairs. I tripped halfway down though and closed my eyes waiting for the pain that was sure to come, but once again I found myself nestled safely in Edward's arms.

"What the hell!" I shouted, my voice incredulous. "How do you keep doing that?"

I shoved against his chest, trying to get him to let me go, but he held tight, his lips in a straight line.

"Bella, we need to talk." He let me go and I folded my arms.

"So talk."

He sighed, rubbing his forehead. "It's not that easy."

"Why the hell not?" I was angry now. He was always so…cryptic with what he said. I never knew what he was talking about.

"Calm down, Bella," he said, reaching out to take my hand. I looked down surprised, but I couldn't get myself to take my hand back.

"Let's go somewhere private, hmm?"

"Fine," I said abruptly.

I followed him upstairs to his room.

"Trying to get me alone, Edward?" I teased him.

He raised an eyebrow and shook his head grinning.

"Why? Is that what you want, Bella?"

I scowled and ignored him. We entered the room and he went and sat on the chair, which left me the bed. I sat cross legged and held out my hand.

"So talk."

"Tell me about your mother. What's she like?"

I was surprised. Where was he going with this? I decided to play along with him.

"Her name's Renee. She's amazing. She's different from most mums. She's outgoing and eccentric, she can be scattered brained, but I love her regardless. She's my best friend." I paused and looked at him. He looked confused.

"How old are you, Bella," he asked.

Now I was confused. "I'm a junior. I'm seventeen." _Isn't that obvious? _I thought.

"It's just that you don't seem seventeen."

I scoffed. "You don't either, Edward."

He looked away and then changed the subject. "So why did you move here then?"

"Very subtle Edward," I smirked.

He simply looked at me, hands interlocked, waiting.

I sighed, playing with the hem of my pants. "My mum remarried. His name's Phil and he's assistant coach for a football team back in Australia, which means they're always travelling interstate for games. I didn't want to miss school all the time, but I didn't want my mum to have to miss out on her life with Phil, so I moved here. I hadn't seen Charlie forever so I didn't mind really." I knew I didn't sound convincing.

Edward came and sat next me, though careful not to touch me.

"That doesn't sound very fair," he said softly.

I looked at him. "Life isn't fair, remember?"

I sighed again and lent back on the bed, closing my eyes. I had no idea where this conversation was going and I was still trying to fight the urge to touch Edward. Surely, someone as beautiful as he was couldn't be real. And I still couldn't fathom how he had managed to save me, twice, in totally impossible ways. I knew there was something off about him, something non-human, and I was frustrated by my lack of knowledge about this angel sitting beside me. Suddenly I remembered my dream the other night. The one where Edward was waiting for me in the forest, his mouth dripping blood. I shot up quickly, but my head collided with something rock hard- Edward had been leaning over me.

"Ow!" I shrieked, clutching my head and falling back on the bed. "What the hell were you trying to do?"

Edward looked startled and then his hand shot out to rest on my forehead. His hand was alarmingly cold, but it soothed the throbbing echoing in the head.

"Sorry, Bella. I was just trying to…" he trailed off.

My eyes open. "Trying to what?" I said angrily. "Trying to give me a heart attack? Trying to hurt me even-…"

"I was trying to read your mind," he interrupted.

I forgot what I was saying. "Whoa. What? You were trying to read my mind?" I was a little freaked out, sure, but I already knew there was something up with Edward.

He paused.

"You can trust me, Edward," I said moving to hold his hand.

He stared down at our interlocked hands and sighed.

"Yes, Bella. I was trying to read your mind."

"Are you serious? Well, how does it work? Can you hear my mind? What am I thinking right now?"

He was looking confused.

"What?" I asked him.

"I, I," he stammered. He was actually at a loss for words for once. "Aren't you scared?"

"Scared? Come on Edward. I knew there was something weird about you. I admit, there's something creepy about you being able to read my mind but-…"

He cut me off. "I can't hear your thoughts, Bella."

"Huh? But I thought you just said-…"

"Yes, everyone's but yours."

I was stunned. "You can hear everyone but me? I'm a freak?"

He laughed and I glared at him. "I'm the one hearing voices, Bella."

I had to give him that. "So how does it work?"

"Usually I just hear a buzzing of voices, nothing in particular, though I can tune into one person's thoughts by concentrating on them. It's a lot easier when I'm close to them."

I stared amazed at him. "Wow. That's so cool! But how on earth can you do that? Are you psychic or something? Does this have something to do with the fact you can run as fast as superman and throw grown men through windows?"

He stood up and walked over to the wall facing me.

"Bella, there's something else. Something you may not like. In fact, I know you won't like it. But-…"

"Wait," I spoke, holding up my hand. "I have a theory about this."

"Pray tell," he said amused.

I gulped. Now that I actually had to express my theory in words, I wasn't so confident.

"Bella?" he asked, his voice gentle.

"Okay, promise you won't laugh?"

"I promise."

"I, I'm not sure how to begin," I said, wishing I had never brought it up. It was too late for that now though.

He simply crossed his arms and waited for me to continue.

"Okay," I said, organising my thoughts. "I had this dream the other night and coupled with how you managed to save me twice, -…"

"Explain the dream, Bella," he interrupted.

"Are you sure you want to hear it?"

He nodded.

I sighed and took a deep breath. "I dreamt I was running through the forest, away from someone who was chasing me. They were catching up pretty fast though, and I had already fallen over a few times. But then I saw someone up ahead. They had their back to me. I, I called out for help, and then the person turned around. And it was you, Edward. But…"

"But what?" he whispered.

"But you had blood dripping down your face," I said softly. I heard him exhale noisily and looked up.

"It's just a dream, Bella. But are you convinced now?" He sounded as if he didn't even care. He was just gazing out the window as if it didn't matter. I couldn't believe it. I was angry now. I jumped off the bed and went over to him, crossing my arms.

"As a matter of fact, no, I'm not," I shot back. He still wasn't looking at me.

"And you know what? It doesn't matter to me if you are." That got his attention. His eyes swiftly met mine. He looked unconvinced and slightly angry.

"What? It doesn't matter that I'm a vampire? That I drink blood?" I winced slightly, but stood my ground.

"So I'm right?" I challenged.

He was silent. I sighed, exasperated.

"Edward, talk to me please!"

"What if you are right?" his voice hard.

"I told you it doesn't matter!"

He just looked at me blankly and then sighed.

"Fine. But aren't you curious?"

"Actually yes. How old are you exactly?"

"Seventeen."

"Okay, I rephrase. How long have you been seventeen for?"

He seemed reluctant to answer. "For a while." He stared at me anxiously. I smiled back at him widely and he immediately frowned.

"Hmm…how can you go out in the sun? You don't burn?" I teased him.

He glared back at me. "No actually. We don't. That's just a myth."

"Do you sleep in a coffin, Edward?" I was genuinely curious about this one.

He seemed offended though when I asked him.

"Of course not! Actually…" he trailed off.

"Yes?" I prompted him.

"I can't sleep," he admitted. That little revelation shocked me a bit.

"Really?"

"No," his voice was barely inaudible and he seemed…regretful?

"Wow!" I breathed.

He interrupted my thought processes with another question. "Aren't you worried about my diet at all?"

"Hmmm?" I said, distracted, still mulling over the fact that he couldn't sleep.

"My diet?"

"Oh, yes," I remembered the most important thing about vampires. They drink blood. I suddenly got chills running up and down my spine.

"Do tell," I murmured nervously.

Edward smirked and then held up his hands before sinking down on the floor and leaning against the wall.

"You're not scared of me?"

I swallowed and tried to make my voice casual. "No, not really." I knew he didn't buy it.

"Please forgive me Bella for frightening you," he said sincerely.

I growled and then waited for him to continue.

"My family and I are very different from the majority of vampires. We call ourselves, "vegetarians," because of our stance on blood. We don't hunt humans, so we have to live off animals." I stared wide eyed at him and motioned for him to continue.

"Don't get me wrong, though. We are still very dangerous. Probably the most dangerous things you will ever encounter in your life."

I remember what had nearly happened last night and shook my head.

"I don't think so," I countered.

"Bella, my point is that sometimes we make mistakes. Big mistakes. Mine is allowing myself to be with you."

I grew silent. "It's a mistake for us to be together?"

He nodded.

Silence descended on us. I was thinking through everything that had been said and realised something hadn't been explained.

"Why do you choose to hunt animals?"

He looked at me strangely. "Bella, I don't want to be a monster who takes people's lives."

Another question popped into my head.

"What about me?" I asked.

"You are entirely different from anything I've ever encountered before," Edward told me.

"Why?"

"Your blood. I smell it and it's the sweetest thing I've ever smelt." He fought to keep his voice even. "That first day, I smelt you in the classroom, and I almost took you right then and there."

I realised how close I'd come to death, along with every other student in that class.

"I wondered why you left so quickly. I thought maybe I had done something to upset you."

"I couldn't stand it Bella. I had to leave. I had to get away from you. From your scent. I went and hunted; I drank more than I ever had before just to make sure I wouldn't come looking for you. It's the hardest thing I've ever done."

"Is it very hard for you now?"

"Extremely," he admitted, not looking me in the eye.

We sat in silence for a long time.

Edward eventually broke it. "I should take you home."

"Charlie!" I realised. "He'll be worried about me!"

"It's okay, Alice rang him last night and told him you were sleeping over here."

"Oh." Thank god for that. Charlie might have sent out a search party for me. "Let's go. Where's Alice? I want to thank her for everything."

"She's stepped out for a minute." He didn't elaborate.

"To hunt?" I guessed.

"Yes. She's not used to humans being so close to us. She just needs to get used to you."

"So she'll be seeing a lot more of me?" I said hopefully.

"If that's what you want," Edward said. He looked torn for some reason.

My emotions betrayed me and I jumped into his arms without thinking. "Always."

Edward looked stunned and I immediately stepped back. "Sorry," I squeaked.

_Damn you Bella and your human feelings!_

He paused, took a breath to steady himself, and then gathered me back into his arms.

"Don't be sorry, Bella. I was just surprised."

I looked up and grinned. "Well prepare to be surprised a whole lot more."

He raised his eyebrows and laughed. "I'm looking forward to it, but for now let's get you home, shall we?"

I grumbled, but that didn't stop him from picking me up and taking me outside to his Volvo.

"I can walk you know!" I muttered.

"Oh, can you?" he teased, his breath fanning out across my voice. It was unbearably sweet and shook my concentration.

"Yes," I managed to get out. "Can I drive?"

"I think not!" he said, gently placing me into the passenger's seat.

He around and got into the driver's seat before grabbing my hand and backing out.

"Thank you again for everything," I told him.

"No thank you," he murmured, rubbing the back of my hand with his thumb.


	10. Together

**Hey im so sorry for the slow update. i've had a million things to do and that, coupled with writer's block slowed me down heaps. that along with the countdown to breaking dawn which is making me insane with happiness!!**

**I'm not sure when i'll be able to update again- uni starts this week so ill be pretty busy, but i'll try.**

**Continue reading and reviewing- it makes me happy and please introduce this story to any of your friends who are twilight fan fic readers!!**

**Thanks **

**Disclaimer: i do not own twilight. **

Edward dropped me off and I spent the rest of the day mulling over everything that had happened. I skipped over the attempted rape; I didn't want to think about that anymore than I had to. Edward had wanted me to tell Charlie; he is the police Chief after all, but I didn't want him to worry and I definitely didn't want Renee to find out. I'd be carted back to Perth and I'd probably never see Forks again. Of course, I was more preoccupied with the fact that I'd never see Edward again so I kept my mouth shut and gave a fairly casual "It was fine" when Charlie asked me how the party had gone. What was puzzling me the most was Edward's vague statement when I asked him what he was thinking about when we pulled into my driveway. He had responded with "I'm thinking about the difference between right and wrong." I had motioned for him to elaborate on his response, but instead he had just traced the side of my face with his thumb and said goodbye to me, ignoring my pout. I knew something was troubling him and I had an awful feeling that it had something to do with me.

I was beginning to get into a routine here in Forks. Wake up, stumble around looking for clothes to wear, eat breakfast (we were running low on food, so I had to go to Thriftway again soon), brush teeth, and drive to school. Monday started off the same as usual; I had finished brushing my teeth, when I glanced out the window and noticed a silver Volvo sitting in my driveway behind my truck. Of course, my heart started to race, so I tried to calm myself by taking deep breaths. It was inexcusable that even the mere thought of Edward had this effect on me. He was bringing out this very weird side of me and I wasn't a fan of it. I liked being in control of my emotions, but Edward managed to make me feel…happy? No, ecstatic. Like I could never feel depressed or upset when I'm around him. It was a very weird feeling. I had expected to dislike living in Forks; I knew I would tolerate it, and maybe find some friends, but I never in a million years would have expected to find a boyfriend in my very first week of school, especially one who was exceptionally good looking and a mythical being. It was crazy. Insane even, that this would happen to me. But I knew in my heart, I wouldn't have it any other way. I had already fallen for Edward and it scared me to think that I didn't care the fact that he was a vampire. He could be a werewolf if he wanted to and I'd still want him. I shivered, losing my train of thought, and pulled my jacket tighter around me before walking carefully down the path to where he stood, waiting for me against the Volvo.

"Good morning," he said, smiling, taking my hand and squeezing it.

"Good morning, yourself. What's all this about?" I asked, gesturing to the Volvo.

"I thought you might want to ride with me," he said, opening my door for me.

I narrowed my eyes. "I am perfectly capable of driving myself," I said, not getting in the car.

"Bella, get in."

"No," I said, before stalking over to my truck. True, it was nice of him to think of me, but I wanted to make it clear that I wasn't some girl who needed to be rescued all the time. I could do things myself. But before I could take another step, he was standing in front of me, his hands on my shoulders.

"Please?" he breathed, his golden eyes dazzling me.

My mind swirled with the scent of his delicious breath and I inhaled sharply. I hate to admit it, but I think I swayed a little on my feet.

Edward grinned.

"Fine," I mumbled, still trying to get my bearings back. I breathed in some fresh air which helped a little.

"You really shouldn't do that," I scolded.

"Do what?" he asked surprised, his hands still on me. I wriggled out from under his grasp and took a few steps back. This only led to him moving closer to me. I help up my hand to stop him.

"Don't pretend you don't know. Don't dazzle me, okay?" It was un-nerving that he could have this effect on me.

"I dazzle you?" his voice curious.

I couldn't deny it. "Yes. Now cut it out!"

"Forgive me, Bella. I'll try not to dazzle you again," he said politely, before turning his eyes on me again and smirking.

I groaned and averted my eyes, before getting in his car.

He chuckled and then got in and we drive to Forks High. Along the way, he put in a cd. Classical music swirled around us and I recognised the song that was playing.

"Clair de Lune, Edward?"

He looked at me surprised.

"You know Debussy?"

I glared. "Yes Edward. I'm not one of those girls who worship Britney and Miley. I do have some standards!"

He chuckled again and then sighed.

"I'm sorry. It's just I know so little about you. Can't read your mind, remember?" he said, tapping his head.

"How could I forget?" I was completely grateful for that; some of the things I thought about I did not want Edward knowing. I immediately blushed and tried to hide my face, but nothing got past Edward.

"What?" he asked, his voice curious.

"Nothing."

I changed the subject. "How am I going to get home? And I have to go to Thriftway after school. We've run out of food."

"I'll take you. Let's go. Class is about to start."

I looked out the window in surprise. I hadn't even noticed we had arrived at school. Edward opened my door and walked me to English. We got a lot of stares along the way to my dismay. Mike and Tyler gawked at us so I flipped them the finger, before Edward grabbed my hand disapprovingly.

"What?" I asked, "They deserved it."

"Please behave, Bella. I'll see you at lunch okay?" he said softly before touching my face gently and walking back the way he came.

Morning classes dragged on and Jessica wouldn't stop nagging me about the party.

"Bella! Where did you go? We were looking for you?"

"I, um, I got a lift home with someone," I hedged.

"Who?"

I knew she wouldn't let it go so I told her. "Edward Cullen." I held my breath waiting for her to start babbling. She didn't fail.

"Oh my god! You got a lift with Edward Cullen! Oh my god! Did you talk to him? What did you talk about? I'd be, like, so intimidated by him. I, seriously, like, would not know what to say to him! Oh, Bella, you are so lucky! I can't believe it! So are you two going out now?" She honestly sounded like a hyped up Barbie doll, it was insane. And that comment about how she couldn't believe he drove me home hurt me a bit.

I bit my lip, wondering what to tell her and then just decided to tell her the truth. She'd figure it out eventually. Maybe.

"Ah, yeah. Edward and I are kind of going out," I told her, waiting for another outburst.

"Seriously? What about Mike?"

That set me off. "Jess, honestly! I'm not interested in Mike!" What was with these people?

"Okay, okay. Sheesh! No need to blow a gasket!"

A gasket? I burst out laughing and then quietened down when Mr. Mason shot me a glare.

Morning classes couldn't go fast enough. I spent most of them staring at the clock willing the hands to go faster. Finally just as I thought I was going to explode, the lunch bell rang and I was up and out of my seat before anyone else. I sprinted out of the class at full speed when I ran straight into what fell like a brick wall.

"Ow," I winced, rubbing my forehead and looking up into Edward's concerned face.

"I'm fine," I told him, before he could whisk me off to the emergency room. He shut his mouth and offered me his hand, before we walked to lunch.

Always the gentleman, he bought me about 20 worth of food, ignoring my glares and repeat attempts to put back food. This was difficult however; as soon as he put something on the tray, I'd take it off again and vice versa, until I gave up knowing he'd win this. I followed him to an empty table and sat down, before pulling the tray towards me and taking a bite of an apple. My eyes swiveled to his usual table and he copied me. The other Cullens were sitting there talking quietly. Alice saw me and waved; the other girl, Rosalie, just glared at me and then turned back around. I fought to keep my face calm and turned back to face Edward.

"They hate me," I said in a matter of fact way, picking up a tuna sandwich and taking a massive bite.

"No they don't. They just don't know you. Alice likes you," he said, watching my every move.

This was starting to make me uncomfortable. I swallowed my bite and spoke again.

"Alice likes everyone. And quit staring at me like that."

He chuckled, but continued to look at me. I decided to ignore this and took a sip of water.

"You thirsty Edward?" I teased, holding out the bottle.

I couldn't believe it though when he actually took the bottle and had a tiny sip.

"But, you, I…?" I stammered.

"If someone dared you to eat mud would you?" he asked seriously.

I pondered. "Yes." It was just dirt and water after all.

Lunch zoomed by and before I knew it we were in Biology waiting for class to start. Edward had finally stopped angling his chair away from me; in fact, he moved his chair so close to me that our legs were touching.

"Edward!" I scolded, looking down at our legs, "What do you think you're doing?"

"Nothing," he said teasingly, moving even closer if that were possible.

"I'll bet," I muttered before Mr. Banner walked in and announced we would be watching a movie on cell division that was sure to be very enlightening. I knew at once this was going to be both very good and very bad. For one thing, a movie meant slack off time and no work, but on the other hand, with the lights dimmed, Edward and I were sure to be super aware of each other and I knew I would have a hell of a time trying to keep my hands off him. Every minute I wanted to touch him, just to make sure he was truly there and not some figment of my imagination. It actually pained me to be away from him. Like a part of me was missing. I sighed and looked at him. His eyes reflected what I expected mine to look like.

"We can do this," I mouthed to him. He nodded slowly and turned to face the front. Needless to say, I couldn't even begin to tell you any important facts that were talked about in the movie, let alone what it was actually about. For the whole fifty minutes, Edward and I tried to fight the feeling of attraction and to keep our hands to ourselves. I clenched my fists tightly at my sides and waited for time to pass. After what seemed like hours, the lights flickered back on and I stretched out my hands, waiting for blood flow to resume.

"Ouch!" I yelped, rubbing my fingers and trying to get some circulation going. "Let's never do that again."

"Agreed," Edward said, "Obviously we can't keep away from each other," he noted before grabbing my hand tightly and walking me to the change rooms. I expected him to leave then, but he walked in with me.

"What are you doing? You're not in my gym class."

"Actually, I am. Well, today I am. My class is scheduled to do track with your class."

I stared at him in horror. He was going to see clumsy Bella in action. Something I never wanted him to see. I was already mortified and thinking of ways to skip gym. This was going to be a nightmare.


	11. development

**an: so very sorry for taking so long to update- been incredibly busy!! Please continue reading and reviewing- i appreciate everything**

"Bella? What's wrong?" he asked concerned.

"You're going to see me in gym?" I said, spitting the words out. He'd dump me on the spot. I knew I was a pretty good runner, but it seemed that whenever I was in Edward's presence, I would somehow trip or do something equally clumsy.

"Don't worry. You'll be fine," he said, before kissing me softly on my forehead and swiftly entering the male change rooms.

I stared after him, my body refusing to move and then with a very audible sigh, made my way into the change rooms. To my dismay, I discovered I had forgotten my sports clothes which meant I had to borrow a spare uniform of Angela's which was about two sizes too small. The top was skin tight and the shorts were a bit too short in my opinion, so I knew I'd spend most of class pulling them down, but there was no way around it. I'd already missed a few classes thanks to my stint in hospital and Coach expected me to participate or else I'd fail gym. Not that I'd care, but I knew Charlie would so I mustered up my courage, threw my hair up in a ponytail, and stepped out into the gymnasium.

Angela and I made my way over to where the rest of the class was standing. Coach was explaining the route we had to take. Because Forks High didn't have a running track, we had to jog around the campus. This I liked- I was actually good at running. You'd think someone like me who was prone to clumsiness would hate running, but it was something I could do well. I saw Edward waiting for me near the door and motioned for Angela to come with me, but she shook her head, before saying with a rueful grin that she was a pretty slow runner. I noticed she was standing next to one of Mike's nicer friends, Ben someone, and gave her a wink before walking over to Edward.

"Hello gorgeous," he said happily, ruffling my hair.

My hand shot up and grabbed his icy cold hand, "Not the hair, Edward."

"My apologies. Nice outfit, by the way. It suits you," he said appreciatively, his eyes raking over my body.

I shook my head. "Quit staring, perv. And it's not mine, it's Angela's. And yes, I do feel quite uncomfortable. Mike and Tyler keep staring at me," I said, looking over my shoulder at the jerks perving on me.

Edward let out a growl and stared daggers at the two boys. Thankfully, they looked away and we began jogging. It was quite cold but as we jogged it soon warmed up. Edward and I were leading the pack as we turned the first corner around the science building.

"Nice form, Mr. Cullen," I noted. I knew he could probably outrun a jaguar or any other living thing for that matter.

"Likewise," he smirked, lengthening his stride and moving ahead. This allowed me to observe him in motion. Again his beauty struck me. His usually lanky looking form was encased by the grey T-shirt and black gym shorts he wore, exposing his hard muscles. I fought to keep my eyes on the path ahead and not on the Greek-god like creature in front of me. I was having a hard time keeping to that though.

"Hey," I puffed, "slow down, Superman." We were running so fast, we had left the rest of the class behind.

"Sorry," Edward said back, his calm voice betraying the fact that he was not at all out of breath. He slowed down and moved back to run besides me. "I forget sometimes. It's just so easy to be myself when I'm with you. I feel like running at top speed through the forest."

"Not away from me, I hope."

He stopped abruptly, causing me to stop too and grabbed my shoulders, before looking at me straight in the eyes.

"Never away from you," he vowed, before grabbing my hand and gently pulling me along. He slowed down considerably to match my pace and we continued running around the campus. Gym ended and after I was freshly showered, I walked back outside to meet Edward. He was waiting for me right outside, looking incredible, his messy hair still wet.

I leapt straight into his arms, not caring if anyone saw.

"You know," Edward began, his nose buried in my hair, "it occurred to me that you and I are yet to go on our first date. How does tonight sound?"

I smiled. I liked the sound of that. "Tonight sounds good. Pick me up?"

"Sure. 7.30pm okay with you?" he asked.

"Yeah."

He drove me home after and he gave me another kiss on the forehead before driving away. I shook my head as I walked upstairs. The forehead? Seriously, I knew Edward was born in the early 1900's but surely the boy could do better than that. Immediately I made it my mission to get Edward to kiss me. On the lips. And I had just the right outfit that would make me succeed.

I had told Charlie that I was going out tonight but not who I was going out with. I didn't really know what his reaction to me having a boyfriend would be; my mum was cool with it, but I had no experience with Charlie. He was going over to his friend, Billy's anyway to watch the softball so I had the house to myself for most of the night, which was fine by me. I lazed around for a bit, cleaned the house. There wasn't much to do; neither Charlie or I made much of a mess and then at 6pm went upstairs to get ready. I pulled out my secret weapon- my black miniskirt and chose a dark blue sleeveless shirt to go with it. It had attracted many admirers back home and I was sure it would here too. It wasn't slutty at all- the skirt ended just above my knees, but it still looked amazing on anyone- Joyce and Lilly had borrowed it many a time. I shook out my wavy hair and spritzed and scrunched it and let it part naturally in the middle. Then I applied eye liner, mascara and lipstick. Foundation made my skin look fake so I went without it. Pleased with my appearance I put on my favourite rings and some silver hoops and just as I was finishing up I heard a knock at the door. Instantly my heart rate rocketed and I smirked at myself. It was too funny what the mere thought of Edward could do to me. I grabbed my bag and bounded down the stairs to open the door.

Of course he looked incredible, he always did. He wore a black shirt and pants, his hair gleaming copper in the twilight. But it was his expression that stumped me. He froze as I opened the door and he almost looked as if he was…pained? But then his features melted into an expression of happiness as he took in my appearance.

"Bella, you look very nice." He took a deep breath.

I raised an eyebrow. "Just nice, Edward?"

He smirked. "Bella you don't want to know what I'm thinking right now."

I was shocked. Edward had finally said something without sounding like an old grandpa, intent on preserving his virginity.

He reached out and fixed one of my straps that had fallen down, his finger lingering on my bare skin. I held still careful not to make any sudden movements. It felt great though and I wanted to see what else I could get him to do tonight. This was going to be very interesting I was sure.


	12. date part 1

**i know, i know, she finally updates! im horrible at updating my stories. so sorry!! please read and review.**

The drive in his Volvo took well over an hour. We talked a little bit about his background- what he had been doing before he met me, his education, what he could remember of his childhood. I loved hearing about Edward as a young boy. He told me how he and his father used to play catch out the front of his house back in Chicago. His eyes would get this faraway look in them and he would talk with such fondness in his voice, I couldn't keep the smile off my face. I couldn't help it; I was enchanted by him. By everything he said. Of course, I was still focused on my mission. Once when he took his hand off the wheel I grabbed it and held it. He looked down, startled for once, and when he made to pull away, I simply looked at him and he responded by holding my hand tighter. We stayed that way for a while until I noticed the car had stopped. He was at my door before I realised his hand had left mine and swiftly opened the door for me.

"Thanks," I said, getting out, "So where are we?" I looked around. I didn't notice anything familiar about where we were. We were parked at a beach in front of a restaurant. Bella Italia it was called.

"Port Angeles," he responded, offering his arm. We walked up the stairs and into the restaurant. A few couples and families were scattered around, and there seemed to be quite a few empty tables, but when Edward told them his name, the serving girl, who I noticed was eyeing him up, led us out the back, past the kitchen to a small balcony which overlooked the water. A table and two chairs were set up and Debussy was playing softly in the background. Fairy lights sparkled around the railings and a vase of red roses stood in the centre of the table. It was beautiful. I turned to Edward whose eyes were on me.

"Edward, when did you do all this?" I asked.

"The other day," he replied, pulling my chair out for me.

I sat down. "The other day? You only asked me out today."

"I know," he said with a smirk. "But I knew you'd say yes."

I didn't say anything. He was right.

He had already ordered for us. Well, for me. Red wine, Mushroom ravioli, chicken fettuccine, Spaghetti marinara, salad.

"Edward!" I exclaimed, gesturing to the food, "You know I can't eat all this!"

"I didn't know what you would like. So I got a bit of everything."

I looked at him for a second, shrugged and then dug straight in. The wine was amazing. The ravioli was really good, but I was only halfway through and a few bites into the salad when I declared I was full. Actually, I just wanted the food part to be over and the me and Edward part to begin.

He cleared his throat. "Bella, I wanted to ask you something."

"Go ahead," I said, setting down my fork.

"Have you…well, have you had many boyfriends before me?"

I was surprised. But I decided to tell him the truth.

"I'm not gonna lie, Edward. I've had boyfriends back in Australia. But they weren't that serious. I just went out a few times with some guys; we went to the movies and to parties and stuff," I paused, "How about you?"

"I haven't had a girlfriend, Bella."

I was astonished. This beautiful god-like creature had never had a girlfriend? Never touched, never kissed, never been with a girl?

"Never?" I asked.

"Never."

Wow. I couldn't believe it .Edward seemed like exactly the type of guy every girl dreamed about. And not just because he was good looking, but because underneath all that, he was such a good person. He was also mysterious which was always a good thing in my book.

"Why not?" I asked him, still astonished.

Edward took a moment to answer. I could see he was trying to gather his thoughts. "It's difficult to explain," he told me.

"I think I can follow," I responded. Where was he going with this?

"You know I've been alive since 1901. So that makes me almost one hundred and eight years old. A vampire for nearly ninety years."

He paused for a second and began again.

"The thing is, I have had, well, offers from women throughout the years," he continued.

I interrupted him instantly. "How many women are we talking about, Edward?"

He looked nervous for a second, but then his face melted into a smirk.

"I'm not sure. I haven't kept count," he told me.

I paused myself and then kept on. "Pretty women, Edward?"

He opened his mouth to respond, and then closed it. We stared at each other, neither of us willing to break eye contact. I finally lost the game after my eyes couldn't stay open.

"Are you jealous, Bella?" he asked me. He sounded surprised.

I immediately tried to backtrack. "No." I cleared my throat. "I'm simply wondering why someone like you hasn't ever been with a women and you've had a century to do it. It makes no sense especially when women seem to be throwing themselves at you. Pretty, beautiful, gorgeous women. I just didn't expect it."

I finally shut up and looked down at my hands. Obviously the wine had gone to my head.

I felt fingertips brushing my cheek and looked up. Edward was leaning across the table, towards me. I gulped. His face was barely an inch from my own.

"It's simple, Bella. None of those women were you."

And that was it. I'm not sure whether I truly believed him, but at that instant all I wanted was for him to kiss me. To really kiss me. As though only me and him existed.

But of course, with my luck the waitress arrived to clear our dishes away. I looked at Edward but he was already holding out some money and standing up to leave. I quickly got up too, disappointed. Edward turned around and walked quickly back through the restaurant. I was a bit annoyed truthfully. He was acting like there was nothing going on between us. I think I saw through his façade though. His fists were clenched tighter than I'd ever seen them before. We got in the car and he started it and sped off into the night.

I finally exhaled noisily and was about to ask him what the heck was wrong with him when he grabbed my hand and held it tight.

"Edward what's going on? What happened back there?"

He stared straight ahead, but sighed and then started to answer. "I know this sounds incredibly stupid but I…" he trailed off, unable to continue.

"What?" I prompted him.

"I was afraid I was going to lose control in the restaurant," he admitted.

I tried to stop myself but I couldn't. I started laughing. It was really bad. I couldn't stop myself.

"Bella, what are you laughing at?" Edward looked hurt.

I finally got a hold of myself and took a few deep breaths to calm myself. I looked out the window and realised we had stopped.

"Where are we?" I wondered out loud.

"Eclipse Beach. But if you're too busy laughing I can take you straight home," he said, with more than a hint of hurt still resonating through his voice.

"As if, Edward."

I rolled my eyes and then got out of the car. He was already standing next to me with a picnic blanket in hand. The stars shone above us as we walked down to the deserted shore.

"I'm sorry, Edward. I was just laughing because I was the one who was gonna lose control back there. I wanted to kiss you so bad." _Oh shit. _Yep, the wine had definitely affected me. Apparently the more expensive the wine, the more potent it is. Well, with me anyway.

**sorry for leaving you hanging!!! i want to write this next bit right but i also wanted to give you guys another chap!!! expect more in the next week or so! also check out my new story "i wish" cheers!**


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